Department for Transport

Buses: Tyres

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many public service vehicles inspected by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency were identified as having tyres that exceed the 10-year age limit in each year since January 2014.

Jesse Norman: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) conducts statutory annual inspections and roadside enforcement checks. During statutory annual inspections, DVSA identified 2 instances of public service vehicles with tyres that had exceeded the 10-year age limit since January 2014; both instances were in 2017. Whilst carrying out roadside enforcement checks, DVSA has not identified any public service vehicles with tyres that have exceeded the 10-year age limit since January 2014.

Buses: Tyres

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2017 to Question 1855, how many inspections into the age of public service vehicle tyres were carried out by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency in each year since January 2014.

Jesse Norman: The following figures show the number of public service vehicle (PSV) encounters carried out by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) in each year since January 2014 under each inspection type; tyres are inspected as part of each encounter. YearRoadsideTesting20141377489732201564178905720169186874882017 (six months to June)573745869 A memo, first issued in April 2014, to all DVSA testing and roadside examination staff requested notification to the presenter and/or driver proportionate to the condition of the vehicle, which included the age of tyres fitted to the front axle of PSVs.

Parking: Pedestrian Areas

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effect of parked cars obstructing pavements on the safety of visually impaired and blind pedestrians.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of legislation related to parking on pavements in ensuring pedestrian safety.

Jesse Norman: Local authorities are responsible for assessing the needs of all road users in their areas and for implementing appropriate traffic management measures. If a local authority considers that the safety of pedestrians in a particular location is compromised by pavement parking they have the powers necessary to deal with it through a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO). As part of our discussions with local authorities and other stakeholders, my department is planning to launch a survey in autumn 2017 in order to gather evidence about the TRO procedure, the costs and timescales for processing TROs, and information about options for change.

Department for Transport: Mass Media

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many public engagements for which a media calling notice was issued were attended by a departmental Minister in each of the last 12 months.

Mr John Hayes: The Department does not record such information in a central log and it could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Home Office

Migrant Workers

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to increase the levy on firms employing migrant workers.

Brandon Lewis: The Immigration Skills Charge (ISC) came into effect on 6 April 2017 and applies to UK employers who sponsor workers from outside the European Economic Area through the Tier 2 skilled visa route. We are committed to a strong skills system that can drive increases in productivity, improvements in social mobility and help boost our economy and the Immigration Skills Charge plays its part in this commitment by incentivising employers to invest in training and up-skilling the resident workforce. We have committed to reviewing the operation of the Charge, including its impact and the income generated.

Home Office: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of public procurement contracts her Department awarded through framework agreements in each year since 2010.

Sarah Newton: The proportion of public procurement contracts awarded by the Home Office, through framework agreements has been as follows: 9.09% in 2010, 18.18% in 2011, 17.14% in 2012, 12.73% in 2013, 15.38% in 2014, 18.85% in 2015 and 31.8% in 2016.

Fire and Rescue Services: Equipment

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with fire service representatives on the adequacy of firefighters' equipment when responding to large-scale fires.

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with fire service representatives to ensure that aerial ladders are readily available when responding to large-scale fires.

Mr Nick Hurd: Decisions on how the police enforce the law and deploy their available resources, including collaboration arrangements, are the responsibility of individual Chief Officers, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced.  Home Office also supports specialist National Resilience capabilities to respond to multiple scale incidents. These capabilities are discussed quarterly at the National Fire Chief Council’s National Resilience Board and the Home Office Strategic Resilience Board to ensure that the agreed capabilities are in place, well maintained and remain fit for purpose.

Emergency Services: Mobile Radios

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding under the Emergency Services Mobile Communications programme the Government plans to spend on the construction of masts which can be shared by all mobile network operators to improve coverage in rural area.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding under the Emergency Services Mobile Communications programme the Government plans to spend on Emergency Area Service masts that can be shared by all operators to improve rural mobile coverage.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme is forecast to spend £71.1m of investment costs, and £135.7m of operating costs, on providing additional rural coverage as part of its Extended Area Service for the 15 year life of the business case.

Airwave Service

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding her Department is allocating to each police service for the airwave replacement programme.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office funds the policing share of the main infrastructure costs of the Emergency Services Network (the new communication system which will replace the current Airwave system) through a reallocation within the police funding settlement. Police & Crime Commissioners meet certain local costs, such as new handsets for officers, from their general budgets. In 2016/17, the Home Office provided £33.1m direct to Police and Crime Commissioners to assist with the modernisation of control rooms required for the new communications system.

Cybercrime

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what targets she has set for local police forces to tackle cybercrime; and how work to meet those targets will be funded.

Mr Ben  Wallace: The Home Office is committed to not placing unnecessary bureaucratic burdens on the police and has scrapped all central targets. However, Chief Constables are under a duty to comply with the Strategic Policing Requirement (SPR). The SPR provides a framework for consistent, collective decision making by forces, but leaves the specifics of how this should be achieved to Chief Constables.The Strategic Policing Requirements describes organised crime, including large scale cyber crime, as a national threat that Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners are expected to plan and prepare, together or in support of national arrangements, to address these threats.The National Police Chiefs’ Council has oversight of force contributions to the SPR. Police and Crime Commissioners are required to hold Chief Constables to account for the delivery of the SPR and to have regard to the SPR when producing their police and crime plans. The Home Office also continue to support forces in building professional responsibility through the College of Policing; and returning accountability to the public through Police and Crime Commissioners.The 2015 National Security Strategy confirmed that cyber remains a top threat to the UK’s economic and national security. The UK’s future security and prosperity depends on our ability to safeguard digital information, data and networks at home and abroad. The cyber threats we face continue to grow in scale and sophistication. This is why the National Cyber Security Strategy 2016-2021 is supported by £1.9billion of transformational investment.Through the National Cyber Security Programme, we invested over £90 million under the 2010-15 Parliament to bolster the law enforcement response. The Government will continue to invest in law enforcement capabilities at the national, regional and local levels to ensure delivery agencies have the capacity to deal with the increasing volume and sophistication of cyber crime. We are increasing the capabilities of the National Crime Agency’s National Cyber Crime Unit by increasing their ability to investigate the most serious cyber crime.

Slavery

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the evaluation of the pilot for a new national referral mechanism to identify and support victims of modern slavery will be published.

Sarah Newton: The National Referral Mechanism pilot has been testing a new model for identifying and referring victims, processing cases and making effective decisions. The final stage of the evaluation is currently underway and it is anticipated that the findings will be published when that evaluation is complete.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with disability groups on the effect of proposals for settled status on EU citizens in the caring professions living in the UK.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Secretary and myself have meetings with a wide range of stakeholders, and senior Home Office officials have begun discussions with a range of groups representing EU citizens in the UK, including those representing vulnerable groups. We are committed to continuing and broadening this dialogue over the coming months.

Police: Finance

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 13 March 2017 to Question 3658, how many requests for special grants from which police forces HM Inspectorate of Constabulary is considering (a) now and (b) for 2017-18.

Mr Nick Hurd: Ministers receive a number of applications throughout the year, which are typically referred to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary to review before a final decision. Special Grant is a discretionary budget and the number of applications that will be received throughout the year is unknown. The Home Office publishes the applications and decisions taken on Special Grant at the end of the financial year. This can be found at the link below. Data relating to 2016/17 will be published shortly.https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/police-funding-special-grant-applications Applications for Special Grant from 2007 to 2014 can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-grants-paid-to-the-police-forces-in-england-and-wales-from-2007-to-2014

Police: Cameras

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that all on-duty uniformed and armed officers wear body-worn cameras.

Mr Nick Hurd: The decision to procure and deploy body worn video (BWV) cameras is one for Police and Crime Commissioner and chief officers.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Product Recalls and Safety Working Group

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Answer of 24 April 2017 to Question 70328, when he plans to publish his Department's response to the final report of the Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: The Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety submitted its final report in April 2017. I had intended to publish the report then, but the announcement of the General Election prevented me from doing so.Following the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy, I asked the Working Group to urgently review their findings and their report has been published today.I have also asked the Working Group to look at further potential areas of product safety and recalls where action might be required, in light of the tragic events at Grenfell Tower.

Products: Safety

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish his Department's working group report on product safety.

Margot James: Holding answer received on 03 July 2017



The Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety submitted its final report in April 2017. I had intended to publish the report then, but the announcement of the General Election prevented me from doing so.Following the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy, I asked the Working Group to urgently review their findings and their report has been published today.I have also asked the Working Group to look at further potential areas of product safety and recalls where action might be required, in light of the tragic events at Grenfell Tower.

High Rise Flats: Electrical Safety

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the merits of introducing white goods safety checks in tower blocks in response to the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Margot James: Holding answer received on 03 July 2017



The UK has one of the highest sets of product safety requirements in the EU which requires goods to meet strict safety rules before they are put into use.The Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety submitted its final report in April 2017. I had intended to publish the report then, but the announcement of the General Election prevented me from doing so.Following the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy, I asked the Working Group to urgently review their findings and their report has been published today.I have also asked the Working Group to look at further potential areas of product safety and recalls where action might be required, in light of the tragic events at Grenfell Tower.

Product Recalls and Safety Working Group

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety will publish its report.

Margot James: The Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety submitted its final report in April 2017. I had intended to publish the report then, but the announcement of the General Election prevented me from doing so. Following the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy, I asked the Working Group to urgently review their findings and their report has been published today. I have also asked the Working Group to look at further potential areas of product safety and recalls where action might be required, in light of the tragic events at Grenfell Tower.

Tumble Dryers: Safety

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with Whirlpool on the safety of tumble dryers; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: I recognise the efforts Whirlpool has made to rectify the safety issue which affected certain models of tumble dryers; with over 1.5 million appliances modified or replaced. However, I remain concerned that there are many unregistered appliances in use across the UK and my officials remain in close contact Whirlpool and Peterborough City Council Trading Standards to ensure the company contacts those consumers with an affected machine who have not yet signed up for a repair or replacement.

High Rise Flats: Domestic Appliances

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on the provision of safety tests for white goods which are located in tower blocks.

Margot James: The UK has one of the highest sets of product safety requirements in the EU which requires goods to meet strict safety rules before they are put into use. The Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety submitted its final report in April 2017. I had intended to publish the report then, but the announcement of the General Election prevented me from doing so. Following the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy, I asked the Working Group to urgently review their findings and their report has been published today. I have also asked the Working Group to look at further potential areas of product safety and recalls where action might be required, in light of the tragic events at Grenfell Tower.

Domestic Appliances: Safety

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make a statement on how best to ensure that fridge freezers and other white goods are safe for use.

Margot James: The UK system of product safety requires white goods to meet strict safety requirements before they are put into use. Where faults occur, Trading Standards have powers to order recalls or other corrective actions. Consumers can check for the latest information on recalls on the GOV.UK website searching for ‘product recall campaign’. The Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety submitted its final report in April 2017. I had intended to publish the report then, but the announcement of the General Election prevented me from doing so. Following the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy, I asked the Working Group to urgently review their findings and their report has been published today. I have also asked the Working Group to look at further potential areas of product safety and recalls where action might be required, in light of the tragic events at Grenfell Tower.

Consumers: Protection

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to improve and strengthen the UK product recall system to ensure it is focused on public safety.

Margot James: In October 2016 Ministers set up a new Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety to look at options to further improve the safety of white goods and the recall system. The Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety submitted its final report in April 2017. I had intended to publish the report then, but the announcement of the General Election prevented me from doing so. Following the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy, I asked the Working Group to urgently review their findings and their report has been published today. I have also asked the Working Group to look at further potential areas of product safety and recalls where action might be required, in light of the tragic events at Grenfell Tower.

Business: Innovation

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of support available for businesses which are developing new ideas and technologies.

Joseph Johnson: Innovate UK, the Government’s innovation agency, funds and connects business-led innovation. Innovate UK currently provides funding for research, development and demonstration projects through four broad sector-based programmes and an open programme. Over 11,000 projects have been funded to date, with over 8,000 unique organisations involved and further support will be provided through the new Industrial Strategy Challenge FundIn some cases, industries are too new and too small to have well-developed sectoral institutions, but companies could still benefit from starting to build a stronger partnership with the Government, particularly to overcome the regulatory issues that often affect new industries. The Challenger Business Programme works with businesses in these areas applying new technologies, innovative products and services, and transformational business models. The programme is founded on collaboration between businesses, regulators, and the Government. It aims to gain a full understanding of the issues facing businesses operating within emerging sectors and agree a set of actions for different partners to take forward, driving growth and boosting the UK’s comparative advantage.Innovate UK’s connecting activity also provides direct guidance and assistance to businesses by helping them navigate the full range of support opportunities that exist, primarily through the Knowledge Transfer Network and the Enterprise Europe Network.Start-Up Loans are available for those starting a business but lacking access to the necessary finance or support to realise their ambitions.In terms of wider support, Start-Up Loans are available for those starting a business and the British Business Bank’s Finance Guide provides information on the different types of financial support available to businesses. There is also a network of 38 Growth Hubs which provide businesses with other sources of support.

Insulation: Safety

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the safety implications of cladding and external wall insulation systems.

Margot James: My Right Hon Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a number of issues. This includes issues related to the safety of buildings where BEIS can support the Government response to the tragic fire in Grenfell Tower.

Living Wage: Young People

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to make the national living wage available to those aged 18 to 24.

Margot James: The National Living Wage is limited to those aged 25. The Government is setting minimum thresholds only and we recognise and commend those employers who seek to set higher rates of pay. The current national minimum wage rates per hour for those who are not apprentices and under 18 years old is £4.05; 18 – 20 years old is £5.60; 21 – 24 years old is £7.05 and 25 years old or older is £7.50.

Subsidies: Solar Power

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to incentivise businesses to invest in rooftop solar.

Richard Harrington: Solar PV is a UK success story. In 2013, we estimated that solar capacity would reach 10-12GW by 2020. We now expect Government support to bring forward around 13 GW by 2020. The Feed-in Tariff remains open to solar PV which provides an incentive for businesses to invest in rooftop solar.

Solar Power

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to invest in solar energy over the course of the current Parliament.

Richard Harrington: Holding answer received on 17 July 2017



Solar PV is a UK success story. In 2013 we estimated that solar capacity would reach 10-12GW by 2020. We now expect Government support to bring forward around 13 GW by 2020. The Feed-in Tariff remains open to solar PV which provides an incentive for consumers to install solar energy.

Energy Supply

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to reduce dependence on non-renewable sources of energy.

Richard Harrington: Holding answer received on 17 July 2017



The Department has a programme of action to reduce dependence on non-renewable sources of energy, including:o taking action on energy efficiency to reduce demand for heat through the Private Rented Sector Regulations and through the Energy Company Obligation, which is worth £640m annually and will deliver around 300,000 measures per year until September 2018;o encouraging households and businesses to install renewable and low carbon heat systems through the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme, with a £780m budget for 2017-2018;o promoting heat networks in areas of denser heat demand, through the department’s new £320m capital support through Heat Networks Investment Project;o working with major industrial sectors to set out short term collaborative actions on decarbonisation;Electricity generated from renewables has increased from 7% to nearly 25% since 2010. We are on track to meet our ambition of delivering 30% of the UK’s electricity from renewables in 2020-21.Support for large scale renewable deployment is delivered through competitive allocation of Contracts for Difference. The second Contracts for Difference allocation round is underway, with a budget of £290m of annual support for 15 years for technologies including offshore wind. The Government has also provided support for small scale renewable generation through Feed in Tariff.Additionally, last November last year we launched a consultation on world leading plans to end electricity generation from unabated coal by 2025. The consultation ended on 8 February and we are currently considering the contributions received. A response to the consultation will be published in due course.

Gratuities

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish his response to the results of his Department's consultation on tips, gratuities, service and other charges that closed in June 2016.

Margot James: The government is currently considering next steps in light of responses to the consultation.

Telephone Services: Fees and Charges

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress he has made on the planned review of the implementation of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations with regard to the provision of basic rate customer helplines.

Margot James: Holding answer received on 17 July 2017



The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (CCRs), which came into force on 13 June 2014, requires the Secretary of State to review the regulations 5 years after they have come into force. These implemented the EU Consumer Rights Directive and the Department worked closely with OFCOM with regard to the characteristics of a basic rate number. The Department will review the Regulations, including the provision of basic rate customer helplines, by 13 June 2019.

Products: Safety

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2017 to Question 1324, when he plans to publish the answer referred to.

Margot James: I have now done so.

Motor Vehicles: Internet

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what action the Government plans to take to regulate the collection of data from internet-connected vehicles.

Claire Perry: Holding answer received on 18 July 2017



Personal data is already regulated under the Data Protection Act, 1998. We are currently reviewing issues around data in vehicles and related services and welcome the views of stakeholders.

Energy: Business

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 12 July 2017 to Question 3324, on energy: small businesses, how many businesses have switched energy suppliers; and what steps he has taken to raise awareness among businesses of the availability of different tariffs.

Margot James: The Department doesn’t collect data on the number of small and microbusinesses who have switched supplier.It is important that small and microbusinesses are aware of their ability to switch and engage in the energy market. The Government therefore supports the Competition Markets Authority’s remedies which Ofgem have implemented to help these customers access better energy deals.

Business: Billing

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 12 July 2017 to Question 3326, what steps he plans to take to ensure accurate reporting by large businesses on their payment practices.

Margot James: Under the Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017, a named company Director, or designated member in the case of LLPs, must approve the information being provided, taking responsibility for its accuracy. It is a criminal offence to knowingly or recklessly publish information that is false or misleading. The Government will investigate any challenges to the accuracy of the information provided, on a case by case basis. Anyone who is concerned that a business might not have complied, or may have made a false statement, can raise this by contacting the company directly or by contacting the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy at [emailprotected]/*  */!function(t,e,r,n,c,a,p){try{t=document.currentScript||function(){for(t=document.getElementsByTagName('script'),e=t.length;e--;)if(t[e].getAttribute('data-cfhash'))return t[e]}();if(t&&(c=t.previousSibling)){p=t.parentNode;if(a=c.getAttribute('data-cfemail')){for(e='',r='0x'+a.substr(0,2)|0,n=2;a.length-n;n+=2)e+='%'+('0'+('0x'+a.substr(n,2)^r).toString(16)).slice(-2);p.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(decodeURIComponent(e)),c)}p.removeChild(t)}}catch(u){}}()/*  */.

Energy: Small Businesses

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 12 July 2017 to Question 3324, on energy: small businesses, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the proposal by the Competition and Markets Authority to help microbusinesses access better energy deals.

Margot James: Some of the reforms recommended by the Competition Markets Authority’s investigation, such as increasing price transparency for smaller microbusinesses and improving prompts to engage should make a real difference to the way the market works.Ofgem has announced plans to consult on further measures to help microbusinesses.

Business: Public Transport

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2017 to Question 3183, which local authorities are using the powers in the Bus Services Act 2017 to work with businesses.

Claire Perry: The franchising and partnership powers in the Act commenced on 27th June 2017, and it is up to local authorities to put these powers into practice. However, the Government understands, through local engagement, that a number of local authorities are actively engaging with bus operators to determine how best to improve bus services. The Government is not party to local conversations between authorities, bus operators and local businesses.

Self-employed: Loans

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2017 to Question 3182, what estimate he has made of the number of start-up loans paid to people who are self-employed in (a) North West England and (b) the UK in each year since 2010.

Margot James: The Start Up Loans Scheme was launched in 2012 as a response to Lord Young’s report into small business and enterprise ‘Make Business Your Business’. This is therefore the date from which figures are held.I can confirm that since 2012, in the North West, a total of 5,563 start-up loans have been delivered, equalling £35.64m.And, in the UK, since 2012, a total of 46,506 loans have been granted, to a sum of £301.37m.The attached table shows by year the number and value of start-up loans.



Start Up Loans stats
(PDF Document, 168.42 KB)

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Scholarships

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which scholarship programmes his Department funded, part-funded or otherwise supported in each of the last 10 years; what the purpose and remit was of each such programme; how many people benefitted from each such programme; and what the cost of each such programme was in each of the last 10 years.

Mark Field: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has funded Chevening and Marshall Scholarship programmes throughout this period and has previously part-funded the Commonwealth Scholarship Programme which since 2009 has been primarily delivered by the Department for International Development (DfID). All three scholarship programmes are key instruments of UK soft power and support our foreign policy objectives.Marshall ScholarshipsThe bilateral Marshall Scholarship Programme was established by an Act of Parliament in 1953 to thank the American people for the UK's share of Marshall Aid. It is a key element in the special relationship between the US and the UK. An Order-in-Council provides for up to 40 new Marshall Scholars each year, enabling talented postgraduate students from the US to study in the UK – mostly for 2 or 3 years.Since the academic year of 2006/07 there have been 401 Scholars. The total FCO Grant-in-Aid over the same period was £22,990,000. The annual figures are shown in Table A (Annex A).Chevening ScholarshipsThe Chevening Scholarship Programme creates lasting, positive relationships with future leaders, influencers and decision-makers from 140 different countries around the world. Founded in 1983, Chevening is one of the largest international scholarship programmes in the world. In 2016/17 the programme welcomed 1,918 scholars to the UK to study for one year master's degrees on the course and at the university of their choice.Since the academic year of 2006/07 there have been 12,673 Scholars. The total FCO funding over the same period was £294,800,000. The annual figures are shown in Table B (Annex A).Commonwealth Scholarships (partly funded)The Commonwealth Scholarship Programme awards approximately 800 scholarships and fellowships, for postgraduate study and professional development, to Commonwealth citizens each year. The programme aims to contribute to the UK's international development objectives and wider interests overseas and promotes the principles of the Commonwealth.The programme is currently funded by DfID and the Department for Education. The FCO funded awards until 2008. The annual figures for this period are shown in Table C (Annex A).To note: the numbers of scholars in Table C represent the proportion of Commonwealth scholars funded by the FCO contribution. Between 2009-2012 the FCO contribution did not directly fund scholarship awards. 



Annex A
(Word Document, 12.18 KB)

Taiwan: World Health Organisation

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the World Health Organisation to enable Taiwan to regain observer status.

Mark Field: The British Government was disappointed that Taiwan was not permitted to observe the World Health Assembly this year. We will continue to make the UK position clear: we support Taiwanese participation in international organisations where there is precedent for involvement, where Taiwan can contribute to the global good, and where there is no pre-requisite of nationhood for participation. Given the global reach and often rapid spread of global health emergencies it is of particular importance that all relevant administrations be invited to engage in the World Health Assembly, to ensure that discussions on Global Health Security can benefit from their valuable experience and expertise.

Kashmir: Politics and Government

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his foreign counterparts in the Kashmir region on stability in Kashmir; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Field: I am concerned about reports of ongoing unrest and violence in India-administered Kashmir. The FCO continues to closely monitor the situation. The long standing position of the UK is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or to act as a mediator.

Russia: Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Russian counterpart on that country increasing its funding contribution to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Sir Alan Duncan: I have not raised the issue of financial contributions to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe with my Russian counterpart. The amount each participating State pays to the organisation is calculated based on a scale of assessment. Efforts to amend that scale are ongoing. The UK argues strongly in these discussions that a new scale should be based on the capacity to pay, applying the UN methodology based on Gross National Income (GNI). Adoption of this new scale would result in increased contributions from a number of countries including Russia.

Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much funding the Government has provided to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe in each of the last 10 years.

Sir Alan Duncan: The United Kingdom's assessed contributions to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Unified (regular) Budget IS 9.35% of the total budget. It is paid in Euros and in the last ten years were approximately as in the table: YearCost2008€16.4m2009€14.5m2010€14.4m2011€14.9m2012€14.7m2013€14.7m2014€15.2m2015€14.3m2016€14.3m2017€14.6m  The United Kingdom's contributions to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine AT 11.9%, which is funded separately from the Unified Budget as specified in its mandate, since it's commencement in 2014 were approximately as in the table: Year Costs2014€3,513,923m2015€7,208,500m2016€8,328,589m2017(Estimated) €8,084,743m  Additionally, the United Kingdom has provided voluntary contributions towards the deployment of election observers to various ODIHR missions across the OSCE in the last ten years approximately as in the table:   YearCost2008£144,0002009£200,0002010£660,0002011£279,9032012£304,0002013£398,0002014£619,0002015£583,0002016£571,0002017£104,000 (to end June 2017  The UK has also contributed bilateral funding to various OSCE implemented projects over the past ten years. Funding for these projects were agreed on a case by case basis and there is no central record of all the contributions held.

Tunisia: USA

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his US counterpart on the US State Department’s planned financial reductions to bilateral assistance for Tunisia.

Alistair Burt: We have not made representations to the US Government on the level of their assistance to Tunisia. UK support to Tunisia has risen to £10 million for this year.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Human Rights

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will support adoption of UN sanctions against those who impede implementation of the 31 December agreement on the Democratic Republic of Congo and who commit human rights violations in (a) that country and (b) the Kasai region of that country.

Rory Stewart: The political and human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is deeply concerning. The UK has supported the adoption of EU sanctions against individuals responsible for obstructing the democratic process in the DRC and who have committed human rights violations in the Kasai region and elsewhere. Should there continue to be no progress towards full implementation of the 31 December agreement and a continuation of the human rights violations taking place across that country, including in the Kasais, the UK would support further pressure on those responsible. While action by the UN Security Council is one option, we would also consider further EU sanctions, if required.

Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Saudi Arabian counterpart on that country's use of the death penalty.

Alistair Burt: ​The Saudi Arabian Government is well aware of our views on the use of the death penalty, which we make known both privately and publicly. The British Government raises its concerns on the death penalty and other human rights issues at Ministerial and official level.

Israeli Settlements: Overseas Trade

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when his Department last updated its guidance for UK companies who want to trade with illegal settlements in the Palestinian Occupied Territories.

Alistair Burt: ​We routinely update our guidance to British businesses on the Overseas Business Risk website. Our guidance about Israel was last refreshed in September 2016.

Montserrat: Companies

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with representatives of the Montserrat Government on a public register of beneficial ownership; and what the timetable is for that territory's public register of beneficial ownership to be set up.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign Secretary has not held discussions with the Government of Montserrat on its public register of beneficial ownership.FCO officials remain in regular contact with the Government of Montserrat over its plans for the register. Montserrat officials are finalising for the consideration of the Montserrat Cabinet draft legislation which will underpin the establishment of a public register. It will then be for the Cabinet to determine the timetable for introducing the Bill to the Legislative Assembly.

Turkey: Human Rights

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of whether Turkey is meeting its international human rights obligations.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The British Government has consistently encouraged Turkey to work towards the full protection of human rights, through implementation of its international human rights obligations. Ministers monitor the situation closely, and the Prime Minister raised human rights with President Erdogan at the G20 summit on 8 July. The FCO also provides direct support to a number of Turkish civil society organisations working to protect and promote fundamental freedoms.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what regional impact assessments his Department has conducted to measure the economic consequences of the Government’s model for leaving the EU; and what method of consultation and representation his Department has implemented with local authorities in the South West on negotiations with the EU and on the UK’s future relationship with the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The Department for Exiting the EU, working with officials across government, is undertaking a comprehensive programme of analytical work to assess, across a range of scenarios, the economic impacts of exiting the European Union for all areas of the UK. However, it would not be appropriate to publish details that could undermine the UK's negotiating position with the EU.As part of our commitment to hear from every sector and region in the UK, the Government and DExEU Ministers continue to engage extensively with regional stakeholders, and intend to continue this work throughout the exit process.Ministers in the Department have visited the South West of England twice since the creation of the Department, and plan to return in the near future.DExEU and the Department for Communities and Local Governments are working closely with the Local Government Association and regional partners across the country to understand clearly issues related to exit and to identify any regional implications.

Nuclear Power: International Law

Antoinette Sandbach: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the costs of setting up an alternative judicial structure in place of the European Court of Justice to arbitrate in international matters connected with nuclear energy.

Mr Robin Walker: The dispute resolution mechanisms adopted as part of our future relationship with the EU, including on nuclear energy cooperation, will be a matter for negotiation and the government is considering the implications of various models.Euratom and the EU share a common institutional framework including a role for the Commission, decision-making in the Council and the Court of Justice of the EU, and a shared budget, making them uniquely legally joined.That is why when we formally notified of our intention to leave the EU we also started the process for leaving Euratom.

Customs Officers: EU Countries

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to paragraph 6 of his Department's policy paper Safeguarding the position of EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU, published on 26 June 2017 what rights will be accorded to staff at customs points who work in the UK but live in another EU member state.

Mr Robin Walker: The UK has separate agreements in place with France and Belgium that determine the status and rights of nationals employed at juxtaposed controls, including customs areas. These agreements are separate from the UK’s membership of the EU and will remain in force after we leave.

Equality

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2017 to Question 2771, if he will publish a list of the groups and organisations his Department is engaging with in order to represent the diverse communities of the UK throughout its negotiation process.

Mr Steve Baker: DExEU Ministers and officials have held roundtables, visits, and bilateral meetings with organisations including youth groups, faith groups, and charity bodies. Details of Ministerial meetings will be published in the Department's Quarterly Transparency Returns, which will be made publicly available on GOV.UK.

Department for International Development

Green Climate Fund

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department’s contribution has been to the Green Climate Fund in each of the last four years.

Rory Stewart: The UK’s contribution to the Green Climate Fund is provided by DFID and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). DFID's contribution in each of the last four years has been as follows: 2013/14: £1.88 million2014/15: £0.62 million2015/16: £160 million2016/17: £60 million The Green Climate Fund supports climate-resilient, low-carbon development in developing countries. Projects funded by the Green Climate Fund will help increase the resilience of people, communities and regions most vulnerable to the impact of climate change and help reduce future carbon emissions, for example by supporting cleaner energy.

Green Climate Fund

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the total global contribution to the Green Climate Fund has been in each of the last four years.

Rory Stewart: The total global contribution to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in each of the last four years has been: 2013: $28 million2014: $89 million2015: $1,758 million2016: $1,570 million The GCF supports climate-resilient, low-carbon development in developing countries, including by playing a key role in levering finance from multilateral development banks and the private sector for sustainable development. Further information about contributions can be found on the GCF website: http://www.greenclimate.fund/home

Department for Education

Students: Loans

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will consider setting a lower interest rate for student loans.

Joseph Johnson: The student funding system is fair and progressive. It removes financial barriers for anyone hoping to study and is backed by the taxpayer, with outstanding debt written off after 30 years. Monthly student loan repayments are linked to income, not to interest rates or the amount borrowed. Borrowers earning less than the repayment threshold (£21,000) repay nothing at all. Once borrowers leave study, those earning less than £21,000 are charged an interest rate of RPI only. Post-study interest rates are variable based on income, tapering up from RPI for those earning less than £21,000 to RPI+3% for borrowers earning £41,000 and above. The system of variable interest rates based on income makes the system more progressive, as higher earners contribute more to the sustainability of the higher education system. We have a world class student finance system that is working well, and that has led to record numbers of disadvantaged students benefiting from higher education. As ever, we will keep the detailed features of the system under review to ensure it remains fair and effective.

Primary Education: Standards

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what level of Key Stage 2 attainment has been achieved by pupils permanently excluded from state funded mainstream secondary schools in the academic year 2015-16 prior to their exclusion for each year since 2010.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The information requested is only available at disproportionate cost.Information on permanent and fixed period exclusions is published in the “Permanent and fixed period exclusions from schools in England” statistical series[1].[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-exclusions

Johnson Kane

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on Johnson Kane.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what background checks were carried out on Johnson Kane before schools were transferred to management by the Education Fellowship Trust.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Education Fellowship Trust (TEFT) were approved as an academy sponsor in 2012. The Department introduced a revised sponsor approvals process in 2013 with a new system for background checks. Prior to 2013 potential sponsors submitted a business case to the Department which were considered on a case-by-case basis.Additional background checks were carried out on Johnson Kane in 2014 prior to his appointment as Chief Executive Officer.

Vocational Guidance

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to publish the careers strategy.

Anne Milton: We will publish a careers strategy in the Autumn. The strategy will have a clear focus on improving social mobility.

Higher Education: Admissions

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the fall in the number of (a) overall applications, (b) mature student applications and (c) EU student applications to UK universities for the 2017-18 academic year.

Joseph Johnson: The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) publish data on the number of applicants by the 30 June deadline. Note that UCAS data covers applications to full-time undergraduate courses only.Data for the 2017 cycle is available here:https://www.ucas.com/corporate/data-and-analysis/ucas-undergraduate-releases/2017-cycle-applicant-figures-june-deadline-0Figures on the overall number of applicants and EU applicants are in Table I.2 of the Summary statistics of applicants file:https://www.ucas.com/file/115901/download?token=bzdJIyHRFigures on the number of applicants by age are in Table I.7.2 of the Analysis of applicants by single age file:https://www.ucas.com/file/115936/download?token=xzHV52xzWidening access to higher education (HE) is a priority for this Government, and everyone with the talent and potential to succeed in HE should have the opportunity to do so, regardless of their background. Good progress has been made, with 18 year olds from disadvantaged backgrounds 43% more likely to go to university now than in 2009, but we want to do more.That is why we continue to push for improvement in these areas. Through the Higher Education and Research Act 2017, the Office for Students will have a statutory duty to promote equality of opportunity in access and participation for all students. The Act introduces a Transparency Duty that will require HE institutions to publish data on the access and success of certain groups of students. Greater transparency will push universities to build on what has already been achieved.Our guidance to the Director for Fair Access in 2016 asked him to encourage institutions to make more effort in the area of recruiting more mature learners and this is reflected in guidance to institutions on access agreements. We are removing barriers to the growth of accelerated courses, which particularly appeal to mature students. The Government is listening to the sector’s concerns about Brexit and has taken action to provide greater certainty. We have announced that EU students starting their courses in the academic year 18/19 or before will continue to be eligible for student loans and home fee status for the duration of their course.

Apprentices: Disability

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people with a (a) learning difficulty and (b) disability completed apprenticeships in 2015-16.

Anne Milton: The department publishes data on the number of apprentices who complete and achieve their apprenticeships by self-declared learning difficulty and/or disability and/or health problem. This can be found in the apprenticeships demographic tool in the apprenticeships FE data library: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/624824/apprenticeships-demographics-data-tool-achievements-v1.xlsx

Higher Education: Admissions

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of the (a) increase in tuition fees, (b) abolition of maintenance grants, (c) abolition of nurses' bursaries, (d) rate of interest on student debt and (e) decision to freeze the student loan repayment threshold in cash terms on the number of (i) university applications and (ii) nursing applications.

Joseph Johnson: The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) publish data on the number of applicants by the 30 June deadline. UCAS data covers applications to full-time undergraduate courses only.Data for the 2017 cycle is available here:https://www.ucas.com/corporate/data-and-analysis/ucas-undergraduate-releases/2017-cycle-applicant-figures-june-deadline-0 The Government is committed to maintaining the UK’s world class higher education system while living within its means and ensuring all those with the talent to benefit from a higher education can afford to do so. To put higher education funding onto a more sustainable footing, the Government asked future graduates to meet more of the costs of their studies through replacing maintenance grants with loans.Tuition fees will not increase in real terms and Higher Education and publicly funded institutions will remain free at the point of access for those who are eligible, as tuition fee loans will increase to cover increased tuition fees.In practice, the people who are affected by the decision to charge an interest rate of up to RPI+3% are those high-earning borrowers who pay back all, or very nearly all, their student loans; many of those who do not fully pay back their loans will see this part of their loan balance written off. Freezing the repayment threshold enabled the Government to abolish student number controls – lifting the cap on aspiration and enabling more people to realise their potential. To deliver more nurses and other health professionals for the NHS, a better funding system for healthcare students, and a sustainable model for universities, the funding system and financial support offered to most undergraduate nursing, midwifery and allied health professional students is being changed. From 1 August 2017, new undergraduate students will receive tuition fee loans and, for full-time courses, living costs support, administered by the Student Loans Company, rather than NHS bursaries. Entry to nursing, midwifery and allied health profession remains competitive, with a ratio of nearly two applicants per nurse training place. Health Education England commissioned 23,285 nursing and midwifery places for the 2016/17 academic year. The overall numbers of applicants to English providers from all domiciles is 44,160 as of the June 2017 UCAS deadline. Health Education England therefore remain confident that they will be able to fill the number of training places required to meet NHS workforce requirements and are working with the university sector to support student recruitment in 2017/18.

Apprentices: Taxation

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to ensure large employers ring-fence apprenticeship levy funding to be used for apprenticeship starts for 16-to-18 year-olds.

Anne Milton: The apprenticeship levy will enable us to fund the step change needed to achieve 3 million quality apprenticeship starts in England by 2020, providing more opportunities for people of all ages to begin or further develop their careers. As an employer-led programme, employers must be able to make decisions on recruitment to meet their skills needs. To ensure young people have access to apprenticeships we are providing £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on 16 to 18 year olds or 19 to 24 year olds who were in care or who have an Education and Health Care Plan. To support and grow apprenticeships amongst smaller employers who do not pay the levy, we are providing generous co-investment support and extending this to 100% support for the smallest employers taking on younger apprentices.

Further Education: Lancashire

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she expects the recommendations of the Lancashire (Coastal) FE Area Review to be published.

Anne Milton: As confirmed in the Area Review Guidance published in March 2016, we will publish an overarching report containing a summary of each area review’s findings and agreed recommendations. The Lancashire Area Review report is due for publication in the near future.

Sixth Form Education

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2017 to Question 1097, how much funding was allocated to 16-to-19 education in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.

Anne Milton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to his previous question number 3689, which was answered on 12 July: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2017-07-07/3689/.

Open University: Overseas Students

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had any discussions with the Open University on its use of a restricted countries list in its application process.

Joseph Johnson: My Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no such meetings.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Staff

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff have been employed in Offender Management Units in each prison in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The recording of information on the number of staff employed specifically in Offender Management Units is not held on the corporate HR system. This means that although relevant data exists at prison level, this could not be collated to provide a comprehensive picture.

Prisons: Repairs and Maintenance

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will launch a review into the contractual agreements of private sector service providers for maintenance work in prisons.

Mr Sam Gyimah: It is right that prison repair work is carried out in a timely and effective manner to ensure public protection. We always work to ensure we achieve value for money for the taxpayer and keep our costs under review. We are currently engaging with key stakeholders, including our suppliers, to consider how we can improve the existing contracts for Facilities Management to achieve the best outcome for HMPPS. This work is anticipated to continue over summer 2017 and be completed in the autumn.

Sexual Offences: Rehabilitation

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to create a new scheme to rehabilitate offenders since the halt of the Sex Offender Treatment Programme.

Mr Sam Gyimah: HM Prison and Probation Service provides eight accredited programmes for men with sexual convictions. These vary in length and complexity, depending on the risks posed by individuals and the settings in which the programmes are delivered. All programmes are reviewed regularly and overseen by the Correctional Services Accreditation and Advice Panel, a panel of International experts to ensure that they are in line with the latest evidence. Significant changes have been made to the programmes provided for this group of offenders in line with the emerging evidence. HMPPS began delivery of two new programmes, Horizon for medium risk men in April 2016, and Kaizen for higher risk men in June 2017, following their accreditation by the Correctional Services Accreditation and Advice Panel.

Prisons

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prisons operate a personal officer programme.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Prison service orders do not require Governors to operate a personal officer programme and there is no central register of which establishments do operate one. The review of Offender Management in Custody (OMiC) introduces a new role of key worker who will have a case load of approximately six prisoners, whom they will guide support and coach to help reduce the negative impact of imprisonment. Key work is similar but not the same as a personal officer scheme. Where personal officer schemes do currently exist they will be replaced by key workers. The OMiC model is currently being rolled out in 10 pathfinder prisons and will be rolled out across the remaining closed prison estate by the end of March 2019.

Prisons: Civil Disorder

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) disturbances, (b) riots, (c) attempted escapes and (d) successful escapes there have been from Category C prisons in the last (i) 12 months, (ii) three years, (iii) five years, (iv) seven years and (v) 10 years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: To provide all of the information requested would incur disproportionate cost. In addition, not all of the information held covers the entire timeframe requested.

Prisons: Unmanned Air Vehicles

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to restrict drone access over prisons; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We take a zero tolerance approach to smuggling of contraband into prisons and work closely with the police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to ensure those caught are prosecuted. In addition, a range of methods to counter the threat posed by drones are being trialled and evaluated for their effectiveness across the prison estate. We have already introduced new legislation to further strengthen our powers, making it illegal to land a drone in a prison or to use a drone to drop in contraband. We have had successful prosecutions due to intelligence led operations and working closely with the local police forces to prevent the use of drones to smuggle contraband into prisons. To date, there has been a total of 35 arrests and 11 convictions of criminals involved in drone activity – resulting in those convicted sentenced to a total of more than 40 years in jail.

Gender Recognition: Personal Records

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to review policies regarding the retention of documents relating to applications made under the Gender Recognition Act 2004.

Dominic Raab: The policy regarding the retention of documents relating to applications made under the Gender Recognition Act 2004 was last reviewed in 2015, and there are no immediate plans to review it at the time of this reply.

Prisoners' Release

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to bring about the release of prisoners subject to a sentence of imprisonment for public protection who have served their tariff.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The release of prisoners serving indeterminate sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) who have completed their tariff is a matter for the independent Parole Board. Before directing the release of an IPP prisoner, the Board must be satisfied that his detention is no longer necessary for the protection of the public. Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) have worked hard in supporting the Parole Board to reduce significantly the backlog of oral hearings for IPP prisoners. Earlier this year, HMPPS set up a new unit to support this effort has now embedded the learning in all pre-release casework, so as to enhance the efficiency of the parole process. HMPPS is focused on giving IPP prisoners the support, opportunities and motivation they need to progress more quickly when they are reviewed by the Parole Board so that they have the best possible prospect for securing release. HMPPS and the Parole Board have implemented a joint action plan, the purpose of which is to deliver further improvements and efficiencies in the effort to help IPP prisoners progress towards release. During 2016/17, 46% of all IPP prisoners considered by the Parole Board were released and 24% recommended for a move to open conditions.

Ministry of Justice: Mass Media

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many public engagements for which a media calling notice was issued were attended by a departmental Minister in each of the last 12 months.

Dr Phillip Lee: This information is not collated or retained centrally in the Ministry of Justice.

Prime Minister

Candidates: Harassment

John Mann: To ask the Prime Minister, what steps she plans to take to tackle abuse of electoral candidates; what plans she has to investigate past instances of such abuse; and which Ministers will be responsible for that work.

John Mann: To ask the Prime Minister, if she will ensure that Ministers drawing up plans to tackle abuse of electoral candidates take account of the findings of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Inquiry into Electoral Conduct, published in 2013, and updates to that report.

Mrs Theresa May: I have asked the independent Committee on Standards in Public Life to carry out a review of the intimidation experienced by parliamentary candidates, including those who stood to become Members of Parliament at the 2017 General Election.This review should:“Examine the nature of the problem and consider whether measures already in place to address such behaviour are sufficient to protect the integrity of public service; and whether such measures are (a) effective, especially given the rise of social media, and (b) enforceableProduce a report for the Prime Minister, including recommendations for action focused on what could be done in the short- and long-term, and identifying examples of good practice.The review will recognise the important role of legitimate scrutiny of those standing for public office by the public and the press.”It will be for the Committee to decide its approach and to gather evidence of abuse; examine the nature of the problem; consider whether the measures already in place to address such behaviour are effective and enforceable and make recommendations for action. I look forward to receiving their findings.I would encourage the All-Party Parliamentary Group to submit its reports and evidence to the Committee’s review.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Pay

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the 2017 UK Regular Armed Forces Continuous Attitudes Survey Results 2017, published on 25 May 2017, what discussions he has had with the Pay Review Body for Armed Forces on (a) the changes in levels of satisfaction and (b) how pay could help address those changes.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Defence Ministers have had no discussions with the Armed Forces' Pay Review Body (AFPRB) since the 2017 results of the UK Regular Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS) were published on 25 May 2017. As part of informing the AFPRB's annual process, the Ministry of Defence provides papers of evidence and takes part in oral evidence sessions, all of which refer to AFCAS where relevant.

Armed Forces: Lancashire

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has to upgrade and improve the accommodation for service personnel and their families at Weeton Army Camp.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: There are no significant improvement works required for the service families accommodation (SFA) at Weeton Barracks.All of the SFA occupied by Service personnel and their families meet or are above the Department for Communities and Local Government's Decent Homes standard.

Ministry of Defence: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which of his Department's programmes procurement contracts have been agreed between his Department and overseas suppliers for work related to the (a) Ships, (b) Submarines, (c) Land, (d) Weapons, (e) Combat Air, (f) Air Support, (g) Helicopters, (h) ISTAR and (j) Information Systems and Services Equipment Plan.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many procurement contracts have been agreed between his Department and overseas suppliers for work related to the (a) Ships, (b) Submarines, (c) Land, (d) Weapons, (e) Combat Air, (f) Air Support, (g) Helicopters, (h) ISTAR and (j) Information Systems and Services Equipment Plan; and what the total value is of those contracts.

Harriett Baldwin: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) routinely publishes statistics on the equipment contracts it places on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-trade-industry-and-contracts-2016. The MOD also now publishes a breakdown of expenditure with UK industry. This can also be found on gov.uk: at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-regional-expenditure-with-uk-industry-and-supported-employment-201516.

Submarine Delivery Body: Staff

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people are employed by his Department's Submarine Delivery Authority; and what the value is of that body's total employment expenditure.

Harriett Baldwin: The Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) continues its work to become an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Defence by no later than April 2018. There are currently around 1,300 people working in the SDA and the employment expenditure is approximately £78 million.

Type 25 Frigates

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to announce the names of the new Type 25 Frigates.

Harriett Baldwin: The names of the Type 26 Frigates will be announced in due course.

Cyprus: Military Bases

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what area of invasive Australian acacia tree has been removed from his Department's land, the Cape Pyla, in the Cyprus sovereign base area of Dhekelia in (a) 2014, (b) 2015, (c) 2016 and (d) 2017.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Since November 2014, 61 acres of invasive acacia have been removed from the Special Area of Conservation and land managed by the Ministry of Defence on Cape Pyla. The annual breakdown is as follows:17 acres removed in 201422 acres removed in 201522 acres completed in 2016[1]Invasive acacia has also been removed from other Special Areas of Conservation on land managed by the Ministry of Defence elsewhere in the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia during 2016 and 2017. [1] Work began during the Christmas period in 2015 and completed in the New Year of 2016

Falkland Islands: Defence

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of his Department's ability to reinforce the Falkland Islands in an emergency after the rerouting of the South Atlantic air bridge.

Mark Lancaster: Plans to reinforce the South Atlantic Islands should an emergency situation arise are robust.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of new universal credit claims were processed and paid within six weeks in the last six months.

Damian Hinds: We are intending to publish further data on payment timeliness in due course, but our latest internal data, for week ending 19 June, suggests some 80% of cases were paid in full at the end of the first assessment period. For the 20% of cases who were not paid in full we estimate around a third have not signed up to their claimant commitment so cannot be paid until they have. The other two thirds have an outstanding verification issue, such as providing bank statements, evidence of childcare costs, or proof of rent. Many of these claimants receive a part-payment where elements of the claim have been verified.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department takes to verify the name, address, personal and financial circumstances of new universal credit claimants applying online.

Damian Hinds: DWP take the security of Universal Credit very seriously, including verifying who our claimants are. We continue to work closely with Government Digital Service to support the success of the Verify online system. The high standards of ID verification achieved by Verify are used on our UC Full Service today in addition to a face-to-face alternative approach. We may also ask for separate documentary evidence, ask biometric questions based on data the department holds, or contact trusted third parties (such as a doctor) in order to verify a claimants identity and establish other personal and financial circumstances necessary for the processing of a Universal Credit claim.

Local Housing Allowance: Supported Housing

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is the Government’s policy to continue with plans to cap housing benefit for supported housing tenants at the local housing allowance rate.

Caroline Dinenage: The application of the Local Housing Allowance rate to supported housing will be deferred until 2019/20. Developing a workable and sustainable funding model for supported housing is a priority for the Government. We will set out further details on our plans as soon as possible.

Rented Housing: Carbon Monoxide

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of landlords’ gas safety checks in respect of carbon monoxide; and whether such checks should be carried out on more than just a representative sample of gas equipment in any one premises.

Penny Mordaunt: The Gas Safety (Installations and Use) Regulations 1998 require landlords to ensure that each gas appliance and flue in a property provided for tenants’ use is checked to ensure it is operating safely by a Gas Safe registered engineer within 12 months of being installed and at intervals of not more than 12 months since it was last checked. Such checks must be done on each gas appliance – not just a representative sample. A recent consultation by the Health and Safety Executive on these Regulations involved an assessment of the adequacy of landlords’ gas safety checks, including with respect to carbon monoxide. This assessment and other evidence confirmed that the regulatory requirements for these checks are sufficient to ensure safety.

Department for Work and Pensions: Mass Media

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many public engagements for which a media calling notice was issued were attended by a departmental Minister in each of the last 12 months.

Caroline Dinenage: DWP does not issue media calling notices. However, if the question relates to media operational notes, DWP has issued three media operational notes for public engagements attended by Ministers in the last 12 months.

Pensions: Young People

Mhairi Black: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate he has made of the number of young people who are saving for a pension.

Mhairi Black: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to encourage young people to save for a pension; and if he will make a statement.

Guy Opperman: Automatic enrolment into workplace pensions was introduced to enable more people to save for their retirement. So far over 8 million people have been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension, reversing the decline in private pension saving, including amongst younger workers, seen in the decade before the reforms were introduced in 2012.In March this year, the Office for National Statistics published an estimate that around 160,000 employees aged 16-21 and 2.7 million employees aged 22-29 were contributing to a workplace pension in 2016 We are looking at how we can build on this success over the longer term. Our current review of automatic enrolment is looking at the existing coverage of the policy and the needs of those not currently benefiting; strengthening the evidence base concerning future contributions; and how we can encourage greater personal ownership of work place pension saving, including by young people. The Review will report at the end of 2017.

Employment: Disability

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many companies are registered as disability confident.

Penny Mordaunt: As of the 7th July 2017, 4,589 employers had signed up to Disability Confident.

Children: Maintenance

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Child Maintenance Service on the methods that it uses to ensure that payments are made.

Caroline Dinenage: The Child Maintenance Service introduced collection and enforcement fees to encourage parents to make a collaborative arrangement and incentivise compliance. If a paying parent fails to pay on time or in full, we aim to take immediate action to re-establish compliance. If necessary we can deduct on-going maintenance and arrears directly from earnings or from solely held bank accounts. We also have a range of other strong civil enforcement powers including seizing property, removal of driving licences and commitment to prison.

Children: Maintenance

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Child Maintenance Service requiring victims of domestic violence to give their bank details to former partners on the victims' safety and peace of mind; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: The Child Maintenance Service understands how important it is to ensure that the system works for everyone, including victims of domestic violence and abuse. But we do not believe that a history of domestic violence and abuse has to be a barrier to using the Child Maintenance direct pay service. When parents have a direct pay arrangement, caseworkers can act as an intermediary and pass information between parents, including bank details, so that the parents do not need to have any contact with each other. They will also provide information about how to set up a bank account with a centralised sort code, which means that it gives no indication of the possible location of the account holder. Parents can also choose to have the money paid into someone else’s account.

Lone Parents: Scotland

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many families in Scotland are lone parent families with one or more children under the age of two and subject to the benefit cap.

Caroline Dinenage: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the benefit cap on food insecurity.

Caroline Dinenage: We do not hold any data on the effect of the benefit cap on food insecurity. The lower cap is still the equivalent of gross family earnings of £25k, and £29k in London. Where claimants need further financial support, Local Authorities can provide additional support through the use of Discretionary Housing Payments.

Department for Work and Pensions: Legal Costs

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much money his Department has spent on legal fees in the last 12 months.

Damian Hinds: The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Public Sector

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the number of benefit claimants subject to the household benefit cap who are public sector workers subject to the one per cent pay cap.

Caroline Dinenage: We do not hold any data on the number of public sector workers subject to the benefit cap. Households are exempt if entitled to Working Tax Credit, (essentially, lone parents working 16 hours per week and couples working 24 hours per week between them where one partner works at least 16 hours per week) or in Universal Credit if earning £520 per month. Households can be exempt from the cap if they are claiming WTC and the most recent official statistics show that 134,000 households in Great Britain have been capped since April 201368,000 households are no longer subject to cap and 29,000 of these (43%) are exempt due to working tax credit indicating they have found work.

Food Banks

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Trussell Trust on recent trends in demand for foodbanks in areas where universal credit (a) has and (b) has not been rolled out; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: The Secretary of State met with the Trussell Trust in Dacorum on 7th of July, a range of topics were discussed including Universal Credit. Universal Credit has been rolled out everywhere and is available in all Jobcentres.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of universal credit applicants wait more than (a) six and (b) 10 weeks after making their claim before they receive any income.

Damian Hinds: We are intending to publish further data on payment timeliness in due course, but based on our latest internal data, for week ending 19 June, we estimate that some 80% of cases were paid in full at the end of the first assessment period.For the 20% of cases who were not paid in full we estimate around a third have not signed up to their claimant commitment so cannot be paid until they have. The other two thirds have an outstanding verification issue, such as providing bank statements, evidence of childcare costs, or proof of rent. Many of these claimants receive a part-payment where elements of the claim have been verified.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to improve the accuracy of the real time information it receives from HM Revenue and Customs to calculate awards of universal credit.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the accuracy of the income data supplied through real time information by HM Revenue and Customs to calculate awards of universal credit.

Damian Hinds: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 18 July 2017 to questions 4800 and 4801.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his Department's policy to make no further cuts to disability benefits in the current Parliament.

Penny Mordaunt: We have no plans to make any further cuts to disability benefits beyond those already legislated for.

Children: Poverty

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department has on the number and proportion of children living in poverty in Blaenau Gwent in each year for which data is available.

Caroline Dinenage: National statistics on the number of children in relative low income are set out in the annual "Households Below Average Income" publication. The number and proportion of children in relative low income is not available at local authority or constituency level in this publication because the survey sample sizes are too small to support the production of robust estimates at this geography. Latest 3-year estimates for Wales of the proportion of children in low income are available in Table 4.16ts in the file “4_children_timeseries_risk” from this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/599136/hbai-2015-2016-supporting-ods-files.zip

Social Security Benefits

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2017 to Question 3252, how much his Department has spent (a) sanctioning and (b) monitoring benefit claimants in the last six months.

Damian Hinds: The Department does not separately track the cost of sanctioning and monitoring claimants. A decision to sanction a claimant forms only part of a number of different roles including monitoring and supporting into work and we do not separate the cost of those roles into sanction and non-sanction activity. Therefore we cannot provide a definitive cost for these activities for the last six months.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Beef: USA

Hannah Bardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is his policy to ban the importation of American beef containing artificial growth hormones after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: Any new trade deals must be right for UK consumers, businesses and farmers, and ensure food safety, environmental protection, and animal welfare standards. The UK has transposed EU Council Directive 96/22/EC (as amended) into national law ‘Animals and Animal Products (Examination for Residues and Maximum Residue Limits)(England and Scotland) Regulations 2015', with similar legislation for Wales and Northern Ireland, which prohibits the use of artificial growth hormones in both domestic production and imported products. This protection will continue after we exit the EU. The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, published last week, will ensure that the UK exits the EU with certainty, continuity and control. The purpose of the Bill is to convert EU law into UK law as it applies in the UK at the moment of exit. This will apply to the laws and rules we have now, and will update references to EU Council Directive 96/22/EC in our national laws. Our high environmental and food standards will not be diminished or diluted as a result of leaving the EU or establishing free trade deals with other countries.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many contracts put out to tender by his Department have been (a) cancelled and (b) re-tendered in each year since 2010.

George Eustice: The information about cancelled contracts is shown below. Information on contracts that have been re-tendered is not held centrally. Financial YearNot Awarded2012-201382013-201452014-201572015-2016152016-2017121/4/17 – to date4

Fisheries: UK Trade with EU

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on the fisheries sector of the UK leaving the EU without agreeing a trade deal with the EU.

George Eustice: We are in the process of carrying out a programme of rigorous and extensive analytical work on a range of scenarios for the fisheries sector. The Cabinet has agreed that all Departments need to prepare not just for a negotiated settlement, but also for the no deal scenario. We export fish worth £1 billion to the EU and we import fish worth £900 million from the EU.

Rivers: Pollution

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many recordable pollution incidents there were for English waterways in each year for which information is available; and what proportion of those offences resulted in (a) successful prosecution and (b) an enforcement undertaking.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The table below provides details of the numbers of water pollution incidents as well as the numbers of successful prosecutions and accepted Enforcement Undertakings for water pollution offences. YearNumber of Category 1 & 2 Serious water pollution incidentsTotal water pollution incidents - impact levels 1-3Successful prosecutions in relation to water pollution Enforcement Undertakings Accepted20074448282145-20083787770117-20094308285111-20103368583113-2011360850498020122938265821201337684855432014361727445320153266363221201631464144214 Prosecutions or enforcement undertakings are normally considered for the more serious Category 1 and 2 incidents. Prosecutions are undertaken where there is a public interest in doing so and where there is a reasonable likelihood of obtaining conviction. Enforcement Undertakings have been available as an enforcement option since 2011. The prosecution of water pollution offences or decision on enforcement undertakings does not necessarily occur in the same year in which the incidents took place. There are cases for offences which took place in earlier years which are currently still in progress.

Microplastics

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish the response to his Department’s consultation Proposals to ban the use of plastic microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products in the UK, issued on 20 December 2016.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We ran a consultation between 20 December 2016 and 28 February 2017 on our proposals to ban microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products. We will publish the Government’s response to the consultation shortly.

Cuadrilla Resources: Lancashire

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment the Environment Agency has made of the environmental effect of Cuadrilla Resources’ shale gas site at Preston New Road.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Environment Agency assessed the potential environmental impacts of Cuadrilla’s proposed operations at its Preston New Road site and undertook two public consultations prior to granting environmental permits. Since the issuing of the permits and during the construction phase of the site the Environment Agency has inspected the Preston New Road site five times. It has also monitored the local watercourses to ensure compliance with the environmental permit. Cuadrilla has recently applied to vary its environmental permit and the Environment Agency is currently consulting on the proposed changes and assessing the potential environmental impacts before deciding whether to grant the variation.

Construction: Urban Areas

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the level of pollution produced by equipment and vehicles operating on building sites in town and city centres; for what reasons such machinery is not subject to low emission controls; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: We have not undertaken a specific assessment of the level of pollution produced by equipment and vehicles operating on building sites in town and city centres. Our annual emission statistics set out pollution by source, including from manufacturing industries and construction. The latest statistics to 2015 are available at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/emissions-of-air-pollutants. Machinery used on building sites is likely to be classed as non-road mobile machinery (NRMM). The UK Government has been actively involved in developing new legislation for NRMM at a European level. In January this year, new legislation came into force with more stringent emission limits for major air pollutants from engines used in NRMM. This extends the scope of existing legislation to cover all sizes of petrol and diesel engines used in NRMM and improves the legal framework. The new emission standards are mandatory for new engines being sold, for the first tranche of categories, from January 2019.

Public Transport: Exhaust Emissions

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the level of pollution produced by public service vehicles, including diesel trains; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce such vehicle emissions.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The draft national air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) sets out in section 3, information on the level of nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution from buses and coaches nationally, at the roadside and by vehicle type. Information on annual NOx emission from other transport such as rail is also included. More detailed information on emissions of NOx, NO2 and other pollutants from a range of vehicle sources is available from the national atmospheric emissions inventory. The draft air quality plan sets a range of measures we are taking to reduce emissions from the transport sector. For example, a further £150 million was provided at Autumn Statement 2016 in support of low emission buses and taxis, while recent train operating franchises that the Department for Transport has negotiated include commitments to replace older diesel units with new units compliant with latest emission standards. The draft air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide is available on the GOV.UK web pages. We are currently considering the responses to the recent consultation and will publish a final plan by 31 July.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether an emergency disaster plan was implemented by Kensington and Chelsea Council on the night of 13 June 2017 at Grenfell Tower.

Alok Sharma: Help for the victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster continues to be the top priority and we are determined that they should have the support that they need, including offers of appropriate and good quality accommodation and by making financial and emotional support available. We also want to see that justice is done, and to ensure that other buildings around the country are safe.Questions about the conduct and internal arrangements of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea will be for the public inquiry to consider.

Fire Prevention: High Rise Flats

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the findings of fire-safety checks carried out in high-rise residential blocks.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 27 June 2017



The priority must always be ensuring the safety of residents. Where Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding is present on housing over 18 metres in height, the Government is providing testing for local authorities, housing associations and private sector landlords free of charge. If the screening tests indicate that such cladding would not meet the limited combustibility requirements of the current Building Regulations guidance, local authorities, housing associations, private sector landlords and the fire and rescue service will determine the best course of action, communicating closely with residents. We have given landlords advice on the immediate mitigating actions they should take and are consulting an expert advisory panel to develop further advice. We will publish a list of buildings tested in due course.

Fire Prevention: Government Departments

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the oral contribution of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 26 June 2017, column 348, if he will list the 15 buildings that are part of the Government estate that require further investigation.

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to his oral contribution of 26 June 2017, Official Report, column 348, if he will list the 15 buildings that are part of the Government estate that require further investigation.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 13 July 2017



The priority must always be ensuring the safety of residents. Where Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding is present on housing over 18 metres in height, the Government is providing testing for local authorities, housing associations and private sector landlords free of charge. If the screening tests indicate that such cladding would not meet the limited combustibility requirements of the current Building Regulations guidance, local authorities, housing associations, private sector landlords and the fire and rescue service will determine the best course of action, communicating closely with residents. We have given landlords advice on the immediate mitigating actions they should take and are consulting an expert advisory panel to develop further advice. We will publish a list of buildings tested in due course.

Social Rented Housing: Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his advice to councils and housing associations which are responsible for properties that have exterior cladding that has failed combustibility tests is to remove that cladding.

Alok Sharma: On 30 June, we published a note at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/explanatory-note-on-safety-checks-and-testing that sets out the immediate steps providers of social housing should be taking to ensure fire safety following the identification of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding. It is for the building owner to consider whether to remove cladding. They should take expert professional advice on this. Removal of cladding needs to be done safely and without compromising other aspects of the building’s external wall system.

Building Regulations: Fires

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to his oral contribution of 3 July 2017, Official Report, column 920, what guidance has been provided by the Panel of Independent Experts on (a) reviewing the Building Regulations Guidance in Approved Document B (fire safety) and (b) whether the recall of the Building Regulations Advisory Committee working party on Approved Document B or another vehicle would be the best way to carry out such a review.

Alok Sharma: The Government expects that both the independent panel and the Building Regulations Advisory Committee will have roles to play in providing advice on the wider issues emerging from the Grenfell Tower fire as well as any immediate actions which need to be taken to protect safety.

Buildings: Fire Hazards

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2017 to Question 371, whether there is a requirement to remove polystyrene ceiling tiles from older buildings.

Alok Sharma: Where following an inspection of dwelling under the Housing Act 2004, a local authority identifies polystyrene ceiling tiles as being a fire risk, an Improvement Notice can be served requiring their removal. Failure to comply with an Improvement Notice is a criminal offence for which local authorities can impose a financial penalty of up to £30,000 and apply for a Rent Repayment Order covering up to 12 month’s rent, or prosecute in the courts which have the power to impose an unlimited fine.

Housing

Mr Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to respond to representations received for the consultation on the housing white paper which closed on 2 May 2017.

Alok Sharma: Responses to the White Paper Fixing Our Broken Housing Market are being analysed at present. The Government intends to issue a response in due course.

Landlords

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the contribution of Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon of 23 March 2015 to proceedings on the Selective Licensing of Houses (Additional Conditions) (England) Order 2015, Official Report, HL Deb, column 331, whether the review of the impact of those changes 18 months after their introduction has been undertaken; and if he will place a copy of that review in the Library.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 13 July 2017



Only three applications had been received by October 2016 which proved insufficient for a meaningful assessment to be made. The Department did not therefore carry out a formal review of the changes to selective licensing introduced from April 2015. Since then we have received a further number of applications and will soon be in a position to undertake a review. I will ensure the findings of the review are placed in the Library when it is complete.

High Rise Flats: Fire Extinguishers

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many meetings his Department has had with representatives of house building companies on the introduction of fire sprinklers in each year for which information is available.

Alok Sharma: Officials and Ministers regularly meet with representatives of house building companies to discuss a wide range of issues. We are not aware of any meetings specifically to discuss the introduction of fire sprinklers.The Department did write to all social housing providers in 2013 following the recommendations in a Coroner’s report into firefighter deaths which occurred at Shirley Towers in Southampton in April 2010. That letter encouraged providers to consider the retrofitting of sprinklers in older residential tower blocks. The Department then reinforced the content of that letter in its response to the Coroner’s report into the Lakanal House Fire – a copy of which can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/205567/Annex_B_-_SoS_DCLG_Rule_43_response.pdf

Leasehold

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the proportion of leasehold properties affected by contracts specifying the periodic doubling of ground rent.

Alok Sharma: The Government does not hold this information but is aware of this issue and is determined to act to address any abuses within the leasehold system.

Help to Buy Scheme

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the proportion of help to buy properties which are (a) leasehold and (b) freehold.

Alok Sharma: The Department’s statistics on the Help to Buy: Equity Loan scheme are published and available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/help-to-buy-equity-loan-scheme-and-help-to-buy-newbuy-statistics-april-2013-to-march-2017This includes Tables 9, 9b and 9c with completions by property type and tenure (freehold and leasehold) on a cumulative, quarterly and local authority basis.

Affordable Housing

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many planning appeals have been made on affordable housing allocations in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Alok Sharma: The Planning Inspectorate does not hold the information requested.

Fires: Safety

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with Ministers in the devolved administrations on fire safety.

Alok Sharma: Ministers have been in contact with the devolved administrations since the Grenfell Tower fire to discuss action to improve fire safety.After the Department wrote to local authorities and housing associations on the 22 June to outline the steps to ensure the safety of residential buildings, the Department then shared this letter with the devolved administrations, alongside all letters the Department has sent to local authorities and housing associations regarding the safety of residential tower blocks.The Department wrote to devolved administrations on the 28 June to outline the steps to ensure the safety of public buildings, schools and hospitals. Devolved administrations are following the same process as local authorities and housing associations, including the Building Research Establishment screening and testing process, and are also receiving the same support from the fire and rescue services.

Building Regulations: Fires

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2017 to Question 750, on building regulations: fires, to what extent the findings of the review of fire safety guidance will inform the Grenfell Tower fire inquiry.

Alok Sharma: Work to simplify the guidance was being progressed. Following the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, we will need to consider the position on guidance further alongside the Prime Minister's commitment to look at wider issues, and in the light of the terms of reference for the public inquiry when published.An independent expert panel has been set up to provide advice to the Government on any immediate measures needed to make buildings safe following the Grenfell Tower fire. The panel will be led by Sir Ken Knight, former London Fire Commissioner and former Government Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser. It will consider safety measures, policies, inspection and regulation, taking account of both the Grenfell Tower fire and ongoing fire safety inspections. It will look at any immediate action required to ensure public confidence that everything possible is being done to make all public and private buildings safe as quickly as possible.

Fire and Rescue Services: Finance

Mr Bob Seely: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the per capita funding was to each (a) combined and (b) local authority fire authority; and whether such funding to local authorities is provided as a discrete budget.

Mr Marcus Jones: Core Spending Power is the Government’s preferred measure of local authority income as it is a broader measure of the resources available to a local authority including income that can be raised locally. This data can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/593183/Core_Spending_Power_summary_including_per_dwelling.xlsxThe Department does not publish core spending power on a per capita basis but does publish core spending power per dwelling, which is available at the same link.

Coastal Communities Fund

Mr Bob Seely: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to introduce a fifth round of the Coastal Communities Fund.

Jake Berry: We expect to provide details of the fifth round of the Coastal Communities Fund in early 2018. Coastal areas should not wait for the fifth round to be launched before developing and implementing their plans for revitalising their local communities.

Housing: Isle of Wight

Mr Bob Seely: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the level of New Homes Bonus payments made to Isle of Wight Council in each of the last four years were; and what the affordable and other housing delivery figures were on which those payments were made.

Alok Sharma: The New Homes Bonus was introduced in 2011/12 to provide an incentive for local authorities to encourage housing growth in their areas. The payment recognises newly built properties and conversions as well as bringing long term empty properties back into use and there is an additional payment for each affordable home delivered. Figures for the Isle of Wight for the last four years are set out in the attached table.



New Homes Bonus figures for the Isle of Wight
(Word Document, 21.46 KB)

Multiple Occupation: Licensing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the number and proportion of houses of multiple occupation which were (a) registered and (b) not registered in each local authority area is in each year for which data is available in ranked order for each year.

Alok Sharma: The Government collects data annually on the estimated number of mandatory licensable houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) and the number of HMOs licensed in each local authority area since 2011. The data for each year from 2011/12 – 2015/16 can be found published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-housing-data

Multiple Occupation: Licensing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 July 2017 to Question 840, on multiple occupation: licensing, which local authorities have accessed new information from tenancy deposit protections schemes in order to identify mandatory licensable houses of multiple occupation since that data has been made available.

Alok Sharma: Measures within the Housing and Planning Act 2016 allow local housing authorities in England to access information held by the Tenancy Deposit Protection (TDP) schemes. Local Housing Authorities must only use the data:1. For a purpose connected with the exercise of their functions under Parts 1-4 of the Housing Act 2004 in relation to any premises (in general improving housing conditions, licencing of Houses in Multiple Occupation, selective licencing of other accommodation and management orders); and2. For the purpose of investigating whether an offence has been committed under any of those Parts in relation to any premises.Local Housing Authorities are not required to access the information provided by the TDP schemes. It is up to individual authorities to decide whether to access and use the information or not, depending on local circumstances and other data sources available to them.A list of local Housing Authorities in England who are known to have applied to the schemes for access to the information in the first quarter of 2017 is shown below.AllerdaleAylesbury ValeBarnetBath and North East SomersetBedfordBlackburn & DarwenBlackpoolBoltonBostonBrentBristol City ofBroadlandBroxbourneBroxtoweCamdenCarlisleCentral BedfordshireChelmsfordCherwellColchesterCornwallCroydonDacorumDoverEalingEast DevonEast HertfordshireEastbourneEpping ForestExeterForest HeathGedlingGreenwichHackneyHaringeyHastingsHastingsHull CityIslingtonKings Lynn & West NorfolkKingston upon Hull City ofLewesLiverpoolLondon Borough of EalingLondon Borough of Tower HamletsLutonManchesterMansfieldNewcastle upon TyneNewhamNorth LincolnshireNorth SomersetNorth WarwickshireNorwichNottingham CityOxford CitySouth NorthamptonshireSouthend-on-SeaSpelthorneSt Albans CityStevenageStockportSuffolkSuffolk CoastalThanetTower HamletsWarwickWatfordWaveneyWelwyn Garden CityWelwyn HatfieldWest Suffolk - Forest HeathWest Suffolk - St EdmundsburyWestminsterWiganWokingWolverhamptonWycombeWyre Forest District Council

Building Regulations: Fires

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he expects to commence the review of Approved Document B.

Alok Sharma: Work to simplify the guidance was being progressed. Following the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, we will need to consider the position on guidance further alongside the Prime Minister's commitment to look at wider issues, and in the light of the terms of reference for the public inquiry when published.

Social Rented Housing

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will rank each English local authority by the change in the number of social housing units in ach such local authority since (a) 1987, (b) 1997 and (c) 2007.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 17 July 2017



Between 1997 and 2010, the number of social rented homes fell by 420,000. Since 2010 the stock has increased by 76,000.Figures for the dwelling stock owned by local authorities in England since 1994 are published by the Department in live table 116. Figures for dwelling stock at local authority level are not available prior to 1994, but are available at England level in live table 104.Figures for the dwelling stock owned by private registered providers in England since 1997 are available in live table 115.Where a local authority has undergone a Large Scale Voluntary Transfer (LSVT) authority, its stock would transfer to a private registered provider of social housing and the figure in live table 116 would reduce to zero or a small number.Each live table can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants

Department for Communities and Local Government: Mass Media

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many public engagements for which a media calling notice was issued were attended by a departmental Minister in each of the last 12 months.

Mr Marcus Jones: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Housing: Derelict Land

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions his Department has had with local authorities on the development of brownfield sites for housing in England.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 17 July 2017



The Government has an ambitious programme to bring brownfield land back into use in England and is working closely with local authorities to drive this forward. In April 2017 we introduced a requirement for local planning authorities to publish a statutory brownfield land register by the end of 2017 which will identify which previously developed sites are suitable for housing. We are currently working with representative organisations for local government to ensure local planning authorities have these brownfield land registers in place. In addition, there is continuing engagement with local authorities on a range of other programmes, including the designation of 26 Housing Zones on brownfield land, and our £1.2 billion Starter Homes Land Fund to bring forward suitable brownfield land for starter homes and other types of affordable home ownership products.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Mass Media

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many public engagements for which a media calling notice was issued were attended by a departmental Minister in each of the last 12 months.

David Mundell: The number of public engagements for which a media calling notice was issued which was attended by a departmental Minister in each of the last 12 months is as follows: June 20163July 20161August 20168September 20162October 20160November 20162December 20163January 20170February 20172March 20170April 20171May 20170June 20171July 20172Total26

Fisheries: Scotland

Mr Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what his policy is on fishing rights in UK waters around Scotland after the UK leaves the EU.

David Mundell: We are committed to acting on the decision taken by the British people to leave the EU and to withdraw from the Common Fisheries Policy. As announced in the Queen’s Speech, the Government will introduce a Fisheries Bill, enabling the UK to take responsibility for the access to and management of its fishing waters. The introduction of the Bill is supplemented by our decision to leave the London Fisheries Convention. The UK Government triggered withdrawal from the London Fisheries Convention on 3 July 2017, marking the first step towards building a new domestic fishing policy – one which leads to a more competitive, profitable and sustainable industry for the whole of the UK.

Urban Areas: Scotland

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what progress is being made on the Government's negotiations with the Scottish Government and local partners on delivering the next phase of City Deals in Scotland.

Luke Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what progress has been made on the Stirling and Clackmannanshire City Deal; and what further steps can be taken to accelerate that deal.

David Mundell: We are making good progress on our commitment to a City Deal for every city region in Scotland, and I hope to have some good news very soon on the Edinburgh City Deal.We have opened negotiations on Stirling and Clackmannanshire, and we are working with the Tay Cities partners to develop the Deal.We are also driving forward with the innovative, cross-border Borderlands Deal, which will see transformative investment into the local economies along the Border.

HM Treasury

Tax Collection: Underpayments

Graham P Jones: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue has been collected by HM Revenue and Customs every year since 2010 from (a) underpayment and (b) previously undeclared income.

Mel Stride: Since April 2010, HMRC’s Debt Management group has collected £278.3 billion in underpaid tax, and HMRC’s compliance activities into all types of non-compliance have generated almost £160 billion of additional compliance yield.

Tax Evasion: Prosecutions

Graham P Jones: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people have been prosecuted for crimes related to tax evasion in each year since 2010.

Mel Stride: Positive Charging Decisions (PCD's)ConvictionsAcquittals2010/11*   2011/12501401312012/13739522332013/14880682402014/151254623642015/161067774702016/17106776877 *Lower level data on Positive Charging Decisions not held for 10-11, therefore unable to provide Tax Evasion figures for this year.

Public Expenditure

Darren Jones: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on forecasted funding for public services in the UK in the event that the UK leaves the EU and operates as a member of the WTO in its trading relationship with the EU.

Elizabeth Truss: The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) produces forecasts independently of Ministers, doing so objectively, transparently and impartially, as required by law.

Minimum Wage: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many companies in Wales are known to have paid employees less than the minimum wage in each year for which figures are available; and if he will list those companies and their location.

Chris Ruane: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of employers in Wales who were successfully prosecuted for paying less than the minimum wage in each year for which data is available.

Mel Stride: The Government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) receives it. Anyone who feels they have been underpaid NMW or NLW should contact the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) review all complaints that are referred to them. HMRC does not record statistics on complaints or investigations by reference to countries of the United Kingdom, Government regions, constituencies or counties. Since 1999, when NMW enforcement began, HMRC has identified over 25,500 employers with total NMW arrears of almost £79 million. Last year (2016/17) HMRC identified over 1,100 employers with total NMW arrears of over £10.9 million. HMRC cannot comment on the affairs of individual taxpayers, as it has a duty to maintain taxpayer confidentiality. However, the Department for Business for Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) run a naming scheme for employers who are found to have underpaid NMW. You can find more information at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/enforcing-national-minimum-wage-law I refer the honourable member to the answer provided on 18th July 2016, at UIN 42723, for information on prosecution results.

Treasury: Sick Pay

Stewart Hosie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the cost of sickness pay to staff in his Department was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Andrew Jones: We are unable to provide a figure for the actual cost of sickness pay - this information could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. However, from 1 January to 31 December 2016, 3,289 days were lost to sickness absence by employees in the Treasury. This equates to a figure of 2.6 days average working day lost per employee.

Treasury: Official Hospitality

Stewart Hosie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many receptions he has hosted for representations of the print and broadcast media in the last year; how many people attended those receptions; and what the cost to the public purse was for each of those receptions.

Andrew Jones: The Chancellor has hosted two receptions for journalists in the last year. 200 members of the press were invited to the first reception (a summer reception at HM Treasury), costing £1516, which included security hire, refreshments and snacks. 103 people attended the second (Press Gallery Christmas Reception at No11) which incurred no cost.

Treasury: Consultants

Stewart Hosie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much (a) his Department and (b) each (i) non-departmental public body and (ii) executive agency for which his Department is responsible spent on external consultants and advisers in each year since 2010.

Andrew Jones: Information relating to spend on external consultants and advisers for the Department, each of its non-departmental bodies and executive agencies for which the Department is responsible, is published information.Please refer to the Annual Report and Accounts, Note 7, Expenditure on purchases of goods and services, Note 7, Other administration costs and Note 8, Other programme costs for further details. Links to each of the year's accounts within this request have been provided as follows:www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-annual-reportwww.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-treasury-resource-accounts-2009-to-2010In the accounts Core Treasury comprises the non-agency parts of HM Treasury.

Apprentices: Penistone and Stocksbridge

Angela Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of employers in Penistone and Stocksbridge constituency that will not be required to pay the apprenticeship levy.

Angela Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many employers will be required to pay the apprenticeship levy in (a) Penistone and Stocksbridge constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber.

Mel Stride: The Apprenticeship Levy was introduced in April 2017. Therefore it is not yet possible to produce the number of employers that are paying the levy by region or parliamentary constituency. In addition, it may not be possible to publish these numbers for some geographical areas if there are only a few employers in an area, as the rules about statistical disclosure may apply if there are very small numbers.  The most recent UK wide forecasts of the number of employers paying the levy are found in the Department for Education release:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/545145/Apprenticeships_-expected_levy_and_total_spend_-_Aug_2016.pdf. Across the UK, this estimates that around 20,000 employers will pay the levy.

Treasury: Buildings

Stewart Hosie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will list all of his Department's premises in the UK by region and nation which have over 10 personnel.

Andrew Jones: HM Treasury has over 10 personnel located at two locations in the UK, they are: 1 Horse Guards RoadLondonSW1A 2HQ Rosebery CourtSt Andrews Business ParkNorwichNR7 OHS

Financial Services: Refugees

David Linden: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to improve the financial inclusion of refugees in the UK.

David Linden: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to improve access to bank accounts for refugees in the UK.

Stephen Barclay: Since September 2016, the nine largest personal current account providers in the UK are legally required to offer basic bank accounts to customers who do not have a bank account or who are ineligible for a bank’s standard current account, provided that the customer is legally resident in the EU. The industry produced Joint Money Laundering Steering Group (JMLSG) guidance notes contain a list of documents which are capable of evidencing identity for special cases, including refugees, who either cannot meet their standard verification requirement, or have experienced difficulties in the past when seeking to open accounts, and which will generally be appropriate for opening a basic bank account. In the case of refugees the suggested non-standard documentation includes an Immigration Status Document with Residence Permit. To help refugees to prove their identity, when an individual is granted refugee status by the Home Office they are issued with a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) as proof of the holder’s right to stay, work or study in the UK. The treatment of customers by financial services firms, including banks and building societies, is governed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in its Principles for Businesses. The FCA’s Principles include a general requirement for firms to provide a prompt, efficient and fair service to all of their customers and the government works closely with the FCA to ensure that members of the public have access to useful and affordable financial products and services.

Revenue and Customs: Edinburgh

Hannah Bardell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which documents relating to the HM Revenue and Customs lease for its Waverley Gate premises in Edinburgh were signed during the purdah period before the General Election in 2017.

Hannah Bardell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on what dates during the purdah period before the 2017 General Election meetings took place to discuss moving HM Revenue and Customs jobs to Waverley Gate in Edinburgh.

Hannah Bardell: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what decisions were taken during the purdah period before the 2017 General Election on moving HM Revenue and Customs jobs to Waverley Gate in Edinburgh.

Mel Stride: On 26 May HMRC exchanged on the agreement for lease for New Waverley Place. In line with purdah guidance, HMRC sought and followed Cabinet Office advice before making this commitment. The decision to move HMRC jobs to the Edinburgh regional centre was announced in November 2015. No decisions were made on moving jobs to the Edinburgh Regional Centre during purdah. As part of wider business planning, meetings to discuss the moves have taken place regularly since November 2015.

Revenue and Customs: Staff

Chris Stephens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many face-to-care visits were undertaken by Needs Extra Support advisers in HM Revenue and Customs in each tax year since 2013-14.

Mel Stride: Face to Face Appointments booked:2014-15 17,5562015-16 25,6412016-17 25,1712017-18 to date 4,721

Revenue and Customs: Finance

Chris Stephens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of whether HM Revenue and Customs' Customer Compliance Group will overspend its budget for 2017-18.

Mel Stride: HM Treasury continually monitors all departmental expenditure as part of routine in-year financial control processes. We do not expect HMRC’s Customer Compliance Group to overspend in 2017-18.

Revenue and Customs: Staff

Chris Stephens: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Needs Extra Support advisers have been working in HM Revenue and Customs in each tax year since 2013-14.

Mel Stride: Staff in post at the start of each year Mobile Advisers (who visit customers)Telephony Advisers2014-151451692015-161391522016-171411472017-18131142

Television: Tax Allowances

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many companies received high-end TV tax relief in (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16 and (c) 2016-17.

Mel Stride: HMRC publishes this information in the Creative Industries Statistics here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/creative-industries-statistics The next release of these statistics, including the latest data for 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17, will be published on 20 July 2017.

Capital Gains Tax

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people received capital gains tax exemption on the disposal of their only or main residence in (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16 and (c) 2016-17.

Mel Stride: The Government does not hold information on the number of people that would pay Capital Gains Tax on their main residence if there were not an exemption, as taxpayers are not usually required to submit a Capital Gains Tax return when they sell their main home. The Government publishes an estimate of the total cost of the tax relief on the only or main residence. This is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/579720/Dec_16_Main_Reliefs_Final.pdf.

Patents: Corporation Tax

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people received corporation tax relief on patent boxes in (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16 and (c) 2016-17.

Mel Stride: HMRC publishes official statistics on the number of companies claiming the Patent Box relief, on an annual basis. The statistics are available in the “Patent box statistics” publication which shows provisional estimates of 700 companies claiming Patent Box relief for 2013-14. The next release of these statistics, including the latest data for 2013-14 and 2014-15 will be published in mid-September.Official figures for 2015-16 and 2016-17 will be published in future years because companies, have up to 2 years after the end of the accounting period in which to claim the Patent Box relief.

Museums and Galleries: Tax Allowances

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to extend museums and galleries tax relief to permanent exhibitions.

Mel Stride: Autumn Statement 2016 announced that the Museums and Galleries Tax Relief would be extended to include permanent exhibitions. This tax relief will provide support to museums and galleries to encourage them to develop creative new exhibitions and display their collections to a wider audience.

Cabinet Office

Democratic Unionist Party: Meetings

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 5 July 2017 to Question 1977, on Democratic Unionist Party, whether meetings between the Conservative Party and the Democratic Unionist Party which led to the agreement on confidence and supply took place in government buildings; whether other government resources were used during those meetings; whether any special advisers were present during any part of those meetings; and whether any civil servant was present during any part of those meetings.

Damian Green: Some discussions between the Conservative Party and the DUP took place in Government buildings. Special advisers were present at some points during some of those discussions. A civil servant was present for discussions relating to Government business to provide factual briefings as necessary.

Iron and Steel: Procurement

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effect on the amount of British steel used in UK procurement projects of introducing compulsory disclosure of certification and steel origin.

Caroline Nokes: The Government has not introduced compulsory disclosure of certification and steel origin.

Cabinet Office: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many contracts put out to tender by his Department have been (a) cancelled and (b) re-tendered in each year since 2010.

Caroline Nokes: Cabinet Office does not hold a central record of contracts being terminated or restarted during this period.

Election Offences

John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to provide to the Minister tasked with taking forward the Government’s investigation into the abuse of electoral candidates details of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Inquiry into Electoral Conduct and its subsequent updates.

Chris Skidmore: I refer the honourable member to the answer given by the Prime Minister on the 19th July 2017 to PQ4219 and PQ4220.

Democratic Unionist Party

Lady Hermon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2017 to Question 2657, on the Democratic Unionist Party, if he will publish the names of those hon. Members who attend each meeting of the Coordination Committee; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Green: Pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2017 to Question 2657, the modus operandi of the coordination committee will be agreed between the Conservative party and the Democratic Unionist party.

Zero Hours Contracts: Young People

Mhairi Black: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of 18 to 25-year olds who are on zero-hours contracts.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response to PQ4535
(PDF Document, 120.53 KB)

Cabinet Office: Staff

Hywel Williams: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff in his Department have responsibilities relating to the UK leaving the EU.

Caroline Nokes: Exit is an all-of-government operation. The Department for Exiting the European Union is undertaking detailed work with departments to prepare for the upcoming negotiations by understanding the risks and opportunities of leaving the EU and coordinating planning. Staff in my Department continue to work closely with officials in the Department for Exiting the European Union. Indeed, a large contingent of Cabinet Office staff formed the basis of the new Department’s workforce when it was created last year. Members of staff across the Department also provide advice and analysis on EU Exit issues as required. But given the interactions between EU exit work and the Department’s other priorities, it would not be possible to give an accurate figure.

Childcare Implementation Taskforce

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many times the childcare implementation taskforce has met since its establishment; what were the dates on which it met; and who attended each meeting.

Chris Skidmore: The Childcare ITF is chaired by the Education Secretary and was established to drive delivery of a coherent and effective government-wide childcare offer to support parents in work. To protect the integrity of the policy making process, we do not not publish details of when Implementation Taskforces met or what they discussed.

Department for International Trade

Service Industries: Trade Agreements

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the Prime Minister’s statement of 10 July 2017, Official Report, column 26, on the G20 summit, what rule changes he has requested from the WTO relating to the (a) services and (b) digital sector.

Mark Garnier: As the Prime Minister and Department for International Trade ministers have set out, the UK is a founding member and active participant in the ongoing work of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). This includes an active involvement in services and the digital sector, where we continue to advocate for services trade liberalisation and are encouraging members to restart negotiations on the ambitious Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA).On the digital economy, we are working with other WTO Member States to achieve a positive outcome at the Ministerial Conference in December 2017. This includes working with developing and least developed countries as a core supporter of UNCTAD’s ‘eTrade for All’ initiative which seeks to improve the ability of developing countries to benefit from e-commerce.

Trade Agreements

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many new international trade agreements the Government has concluded since 1 January 2017.

Mark Garnier: The UK Government cannot negotiate and conclude trade agreements whilst we are still members of the European Union.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the timetable is for the consultation on amending the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulation 2003 to introduce director liability for breaches of that regulation.

Matt Hancock: Directors of organisations responsible for making unsolicited marketing calls should be held to account. We intend to consult over the summer on making the necessary changes to the Privacy and Electronic Communication Regulations 2003, with a view to introducing the legislation by the end of the year.

Data Protection: EU Law

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the UK operating only as a member of the WTO on the UK’s preparations for complying with the General Data Protection Regulation; and what key differences exist between the (a) WTO rules in respect of the digital sector and (b) those rules that exist by being a member of the EU.

Matt Hancock: The General Data Protection Regulation will apply to EU member states, including the UK, from 25 May 2018. The Government is committed to ensuring the highest level of data protection for UK citizens now and in the future. To that end, the Data Protection Bill, as announced in the Queen's Speech, will be introduced to Parliament in due course.

Social Media: Children

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to introduce regulation of access to social media by children.

Matt Hancock: We take child safety very seriously and undertake a variety of initiatives to ensure children stay safe online. The forthcoming Data Protection Bill will introduce a number of new rights and safeguards for individuals, including considering where to set the age at which children can consent to their data being processed on social media sites. Additionally, we are continuing work on an internet safety strategy that aims to make Britain the safest place in the world for children and young people to be online.

Candidates: Harassment

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to provide to the Minister tasked with taking forward the Government’s investigation into the abuse of electoral candidates details of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Inquiry into Electoral Conduct relating to social media and communications.

Matt Hancock: I refer the Honourable Member to the response given by the Prime Minister to PQ 4219 on 19th July.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Mass Media

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many public engagements for which a media calling notice was issued were attended by a departmental Minister in each of the last 12 months.

Matt Hancock: The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur a disproportionate cost.

Codes of Practice: Social Media

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to  include measures to tackle (a) hate conduct and (b) extremist content in the code of practice for providers of online social media platforms.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what mechanisms she plans to put in place to revise the code of practice for providers of online social media platforms to respond to future technical developments.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will ensure that the code of practice for providers of online social media platforms will include provisions for those providers to fully co-operate with the police on criminal content.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to consult stakeholders on the content and nature of the code of practice for social media providers before issuing that code.

Matt Hancock: The Digital Economy Act requires the Secretary of State, before issuing a code of practice, to consult social media providers to whom the code is intended to give guidance and such other persons as the Secretary of State considers it appropriate to consult. We will take forward this consultation as part of the Internet Safety Strategy. The detail of what the code of practice will include will be decided following this consultation.

Electronic Surveillance

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the Government's policy is on whether a person should be permitted to monitor a digital device registered to a person aged 17 or less for the purposes of obtaining information about a third person in England and Wales.

Matt Hancock: Organisations or individuals that monitor digital devices registered to a person aged 17 or under for the purposes of obtaining information about a third person, must comply with the Data Protection Act's (DPA) eight data protection principles These include requiring personal data to be processed fairly and lawfully; to be accurate and up-to-date; not to be kept for longer than is necessary; and to be processed in accordance with the rights of the data subjects under the DPA. Failure to comply with the Act is an offence. Further information about these obligations can be found on the ICO's website at:https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/

Electronic Surveillance

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the Government's policy is on whether a person should be permitted to monitor a digital device for the purposes of damaging or stealing data from that person in England and Wales.

Matt Hancock: Individuals or organisations that monitor a digital device for the purposes of damaging or stealing data from that person would be in breach of the Data Protection Act (DPA). The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has a range of powers to take action against those who breach the DPA, including the power to serve a Civil Monetary Penalty of up to £500,000. In the most serious cases, section 55 of the DPA makes it an offence for a person to knowingly or recklessly obtain, disclose or procure the disclosure of personal data without the consent of the data controller. The offence is punishable by an unlimited fine.

Channel Four

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to publish the outcome of the consultation Increasing the Regional Impact of Channel 4.

Matt Hancock: The government's consultation closed on 5 July and we will set out the next steps on this issue in due course.

Motor Sports

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the British Racing Drivers' Club on the continuation of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix.

Tracey Crouch: The British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC) has kept me informed about their discussions on the future of Formula 1 British Grand Prix. Both BRDC and the Formula One Group have said that they will continue discussions to look to secure the future of the British Grand Prix.

Big Lottery Fund: Newcastle upon Tyne

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the Big Lottery on jobs and staffing levels at its Newcastle site.

Tracey Crouch: I have had no discussions but The Fund is led by a non-executive board and has operational autonomy; therefore, the shape or form that these organisational changes should take is an independent decision and is not a matter for the Secretary of State.

Museums and Galleries: Tax Allowances

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the extension of museums and galleries tax relief to permanent exhibitions.

John Glen: The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced at the Autumn Statement in November 2016 that the tax relief will include permanent exhibitions.

Wales Office

Domestic Visits: Wales

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, which parliamentary constituencies in Wales he has visited in each month since June 2016.

Alun Cairns: Wales Office Ministers regularly visit Parliamentary Constituencies in Wales. In each instance, the respective honourable Member is notified of the visit. Details of Ministerial visits and meetings are published on the Wales Office website, and in Quarterly Ministerial Transparency Returns. In addition, visits and meetings conducted in support of the Wales Office Business Plan are published in the Wales Office Annual Report and Accounts.Wales Office Ministers are always keen to receive invitation requests from honourable Members.

Leader of the House

Sinn Fein: Finance

Lady Hermon: To ask the Leader of the House, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2017 to Question 2658, on Sinn Fein: finance, if she will publish how much of representative money will be paid to hon. Members elected for Sinn Fein in the 2017-19 parliamentary session; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: Following the results of the 2017 General Election, the full year Representative Money allocation for Sinn Fein is: Main Budget: £161,501.00Travel Budget: £3,578.03 The pro-rated figures for the post-election period (i.e. 9 June 2017 to 31 March 2018) are £130,970.55 and £2,901.64 respectively. Figures for future years will be based on the annual percentage increase of the consumer price index as at the previous December.

Department of Health

Donors: Organs

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2017 to Question 1450, what the consent and authorisation rate was in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland in the 2016-17 financial year.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information is set out in the table below. Further information can be found in NHS Blood and Transplant’s Annual Activity Report for 2016/17, which was published on 11 July: http://www.odt.nhs.uk/statistics-and-reports/annual-activity-report/ Consent/authorisation rates for 2016/17 by nationEngland 63%Wales 64%Scotland 63%Northern Ireland 64% Source: NHS Blood and Transplant

Transplant Surgery

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2017 to Question 1450, what the total cost of the UK Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020 Strategy has been to date.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The United Kingdom-wide ‘Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020 Strategy (2013)’ aims to optimise every part of the organ donation system in order to maximise the opportunities to save and transform lives, and builds on the significant progress that NHS Blood and Transplant and the National Health Service have made since the Organ Donation Task Force’s recommendations in 2008. As such, we are unable to provide the information in the form requested. The available information is shown in the table below and sets out the total amount of funding provided to NHS Blood and Transplant by the Department and the devolved administrations since the launch of the Strategy. United Kingdom2012/132013/142014/152015/162016/172017/18£ millions£ millions£ millions£ millions£ millions£ millionsTotal62.9364.2065.5173.9073.9073.90

Royal Brompton Hospital

Sir Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proposals NHS England has made for the replacement of paediatric respiratory services currently provided at the Royal Brompton Hospital.

Mr Philip Dunne: No decision has been made to close the Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) service at the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust. The particular circumstances at the Royal Brompton mean that NHS England’s CHD proposals would, if implemented, have an impact on the Trust’s paediatric respiratory service. NHS England has therefore formed a specialist panel to review the potential impact of the CHD proposals on paediatric respiratory services at the Royal Brompton. If a decision is taken to stop commissioning children’s CHD surgical services, NHS England will work with the Trust to manage the impact on paediatric respiratory services.

Royal Brompton Hospital

Sir Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the clinical evidence basis is that patient services will be improved as a result of the proposed closure of congenital heart disease services at the Royal Brompton Hospital.

Mr Philip Dunne: No decision has been made to close the Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) service at the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust. In its work on the CHD standards, NHS England considered a broad range of determinants that contribute to excellent outcomes. Outcomes will be improved when care is provided by a centre that is able to meet the standards carefully developed by clinical experts and patients, and on which NHS England has already consulted.

Royal Brompton Hospital

Sir Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost of NHS England’s proposal to close congenital heart disease services at the Royal Brompton Hospital.

Mr Philip Dunne: No decision has been made to close the Congenital Heart Disease service at the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust.

Patients: Fines

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients were issued with fines by the NHS Business Authority because those patients (a) were not entitled to free prescriptions and (b) did not renew their exemption certificate; and how many such patients had a long-term medical condition.

Steve Brine: Between September 2014 and April 2017 (latest figures), a total of 1,785,895 penalty charge notices (PCNs) were issued to patients declaring they were entitled to free National Health Service prescriptions but their exemption could not be validated. A patient is issued a penalty charge notices when the NHS Business Services Authority exemption checker does not find a valid exemption entitling that patient to free prescriptions. This includes patients that did hold a valid exemption but failed to renew. During the same period, a total of 90,525 PCNs were issued for unconfirmed medical exemption certificates. A new process was introduced in spring 2015 whereby someone can submit a valid application for a medical or maternity exemption certificate within 60 days from date of the penalty charge notice, the outstanding penalty charge is cancelled but the prescription charge is still recovered.

Public Expenditure: Department of Health

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on forecasted funding for his Department in the event that the UK leaves the EU and only operates as a member of the WTO in its trading relationship with the EU.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Government has already said that it is in the process of carrying out a programme of rigorous and extensive analytical work across departments. This programme will contribute to our exit negotiations with the European Union and inform our understanding of how EU exit will affect the United Kingdoms’s domestic policies and frameworks. This Department’s interests will fully be considered as part of this process.In the negotiations with the EU, the Government will prioritise securing the freest and most frictionless trade possible in goods and services between the UK and the EU. We want to see zero tariffs on trade in goods and to minimise the regulatory and market access barriers for both goods and services.The Government is committed to ensuring leaving the EU is a success for the health and social care sector as well as the UK as a whole.

Social Workers: Zero Hours Contracts

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to eliminate zero hour contracts for social care workers.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government recognises the concerns about employers who may be breaching the rules or otherwise exploiting their position. The Government wants to make sure that everyone is paid properly and receives the employment rights to which they are entitled.The Prime Minister commissioned Matthew Taylor to undertake a review of the rights of employees. In his review Matthew Taylor describes the United Kingdom’s flexible labour market as one of the economy’s biggest strengths and said a blanket ban on zero hours would create more “cliff edges” for employers and workers.Social care providers are overwhelmingly independent private or charitable organisations and make their own employment decisions about their staff. Zero hours contracts allow employees to access the labour market who cannot or do not want to commit to standard, regular work. The Department continues to work closely with Skills for Care to support good recruitment and retention practices by social care organisations.

Transvaginal Mesh Implants: Lancashire

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many transvaginal mesh implants were performed in each quarter from 1 January 2017 by (a) Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, (b) University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay, (c) Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, (d) Bolton NHS, (e) East Lancashire Hospital, (f) Southport and Ormskirk Hospitals, (g) Warrington and Halton Hospitals and (h) St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals.

Mr Philip Dunne: Data at this level is not collected centrally.

Mental Health Services

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the Government plans to publish a response to the report Old Problems, New Solutions: Improving Acute Psychiatric Care for Adults in England, published by the Commission on Acute Psychiatric Care in February 2016.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England is leading the development of a formal joint National Health Service arm’s length body response to the report ‘Old Problems, New Solutions’, planned for publication in autumn 2017. NHS England has been working very closely with partners and members of the Commission on Adult Acute Psychiatric Care throughout the development process.

Department of Health: Mass Media

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many public engagements for which a media calling notice was issued were attended by a departmental Minister in each of the last 12 months.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

NHS: Pay

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total NHS pay bill has been in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The total Hospital and Community Health Service (HCHS) pay bill for the previous five years is as follows:YearTotal HCHS pay bill (£)2011-1243.284 billion2012-1343.663 billion2013-1444.140 billion2014-1545.085 billion2015-1646.112 billion Source: Department of Health’s Headline HCHS Pay bill Metrics, which are based primarily on earnings statistics published by NHS Digital, supplemented by employer pension and national insurance contributions estimates informed by unpublished and unvalidated data from the Electronic Staff Record Data Warehouse.  The HCHS pay bill data for 2016-17 is not yet available.The HCHS workforce comprises of staff working within hospital and community health settings, and so excludes general practitioners (GPs), GP practice staff and General Dental Practitioners. The HCHS pay bill for 2015/2016 is around £46 billion. National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts spend around 60% of their entire expenditure on pay. NHS pay systems have an inbuilt pressure because of incremental pay of around £790 million a year. The value of increments for non-medical staff employed under the national Agenda for Change pay framework ranges from £176 to £4,599; and from 1.0% to 6.7%, which is in additional to annual pay awards.

General Practitioners: Pensions

Nigel Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average length of time was for Primary Care Support England to process a change in circumstances notified by a GP in relation to its pension scheme in 2016-17.

Nigel Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the administration by Primary Care Support England.

Nigel Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the administration by Primary Care Support England of GP salaries and pensions.

Nigel Mills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) overpayments and (b) underpayments of GP pension contributions by Primary Care Support England at 31 March 2017.

Steve Brine: NHS England has been closely monitoring the administration and performance of Primary Care Support England (PCSE) and reports that it has made good overall progress in improving the quality of the services provided. Improvements in administering general practitioner (GP) pensions are currently underway. NHS England is working with PCSE to address a range of historical and current issues, and implement new, consistent national processes. These replace a range of different local legacy processes. PCSE does not administer GP salaries. There is no data available on the average length of time taken to process changes in a GP’s circumstances in 2016-17. The speed of processing changes in a GP’s circumstances depends on the availability of complete information from the applicant, and appropriate authorisations for the change from relevant parties. NHS England has reported that recently received changes are typically being processed in two to six weeks.Information on the number of overpayments and underpayments of GP pension contributions at 31 March 2017 is not yet available. It will be possible to calculate pension contributions for the year to 31 March 2017 in February 2018, once GPs have submitted details of their earnings for the financial year 2016/17.

Fast Food: Advertising

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of junk food advertising on levels of obesity among children and young people.

Steve Brine: There has been no assessment made of the effect of fast food advertising on levels of obesity among children and young people. In October 2015, Public Health England published its review ‘Sugar reduction: The evidence for action: A mixed method review of behaviour changes resulting from marketing strategies targeted at high sugar food and non-alcoholic drinks’. This review found that all forms of advertising are effective in influencing the preference and purchase of high sugar foods and non-alcoholic drinks and increasing their consumption. New forms of advertising including, advergames, discounting, use of character branding, product size and supermarket product placement, can influence high sugar product selection or consumption. It would be difficult to assess the impact of one strategy in isolation as individuals are exposed to a whole variety of marketing strategies across various different mediums.

Blood: Contamination

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on involving those affected by the contaminated blood scandal in the recently announced inquiry.

Jackie Doyle-Price: It is important that those affected are involved and the Government will now consult with victims and their families in order to ensure that their views are fully considered in deciding the most appropriate style and scope of an inquiry.

Health Professions: Migrant Workers

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the reasons why healthcare professionals who are nationals of other EU member states have left the employment of the NHS since 23 June 2016.

Mr Philip Dunne: In June 2016 there were 58,698 EU27 workers employed in National Health Service trusts and clinical commissioning groups. In March 2017 this had increased by 3,236 to 61,934. The Department is committed to ensuring that the NHS and social care system have the nurses, midwives, doctors, carers and other health professionals that it needs. As negotiations continue around the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, the Department and its arm’s length bodies will continue to support the health and care system to ensure they are able to deliver the services on which patients rely. The Department continues to monitor and analyse overall staffing levels across the NHS, and is working across Government to ensure there will continue to be sufficient staff to deliver the high quality service that patients expect.

Nurses

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many nurses working in the NHS in England were aged 70 years or older in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Digital publishes workforce statistics and the following table shows the number of qualified nurses and health visitors who are 70 and over working in the National Health Service in England at 30 September 2012 to 2016. Data for March 2017 is also provided as this is the latest available. The data is headcount because equality data relates to individuals. NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): Qualified nurses and health visitors by 5 year age band in NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups in England as at 30 September each specified year and latest data as at 31 March 2017Qualified nurses and health visitors age profile (headcount)20122013201420152016March 2017   70 and over166209251296350411 Source: NHS Digital, Provisional NHS HCHS monthly workforce statistics.

Health Professions: Migrant Workers

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of (a) nurses, (b) junior doctors, (c) consultants, (d) midwives, (e) GPs and (f) allied health professionals are citizens of EU member states other than the UK.

Mr Philip Dunne: Nationality data is not held centrally by the Department. NHS Digital publishes National Health Service workforce statistics. The latest nationality data for staff working in trusts and clinical commissioning groups, as at 31 March 2017, is available at:http://content.digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB24214/hchs-trst-ccg-org-job-type-mar-2017.xlsx

Defibrillators

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to install defibrillators in all departmental and public buildings.

Steve Brine: We recognise that better provision of defibrillators, and increasing the number of people trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, could help save more lives of those who have a cardiac arrest outside a hospital setting. Therefore, we encourage organisations to consider purchasing a defibrillator as part of their first-aid equipment, particularly where there are high concentrations of people. In order to further support the National Health Service and local communities, the Government has provided £2 million to make public access defibrillators more widely available and to increase the numbers of people trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Self-harm: Children and Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the number of patients aged between 11 and 18-years old who have been treated for non-fatal self-harm incidents in each year for which figures are available.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information is not available in the format requested.

Terrorism: Greater Manchester

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what additional provision of mental health services his Department plans to provide to assist those affected by the Manchester Arena attack.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Following the terrorist attacks in Manchester significant mental health provision was mobilised to support survivors, their families, and First Responders. The Government is working with Manchester to ensure that everyone who needs psychosocial support or psychological help will get it. Statutory National Health Service mental health services are currently working alongside the third sector to provide survivors with mental health support and treatment. We will continue to liaise on the need for further support. The Government has provided further funding to third sector organisations to bolster mental health provision and the Department continues to work with colleagues across government via the Victims of Terrorist Unit to support recovery efforts and to understand the mental health needs of those affected.

Lung Diseases: Health Services

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to share best practice in care for people with a lung condition.

Steve Brine: This is a matter for NHS England. The National Clinical Director for respiratory disease shares best practice in care for people with a lung condition by working with relevant stakeholders including the British Lung Foundation and the NHS Right Care Programme. Examples of current activity include: - NHS Right Care is developing an evidence based pathway for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in close collaboration with National Clinical Directors, Public Health England, Royal Colleges, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and other non-statutory stakeholders including patient groups; - The Best Practice Tariff for COPD is now in place and aims to improve the quality of care by reducing unwarranted variation and promoting best practice; and - NHS England is funding a large national audit of COPD as well as the Respiratory Futures programme hosted by the British Thoracic Society, a resource to support innovation and sharing of best practice on respiratory conditions. In addition, an asthma audit has been agreed and a specification is currently being developed.

Lung Diseases

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to support research into lung disease.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds a wide range of research on this topic. Expenditure by the NIHR on respiratory disease research, including research into lung disease, has increased by over two thirds from £15.7 million in 2009/10 to £26.7 million in 2015/16 (the latest available figure). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including lung disease. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.

West Cumberland Hospital

Trudy Harrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure adequacy funding for the final stage of construction of the West Cumberland Hospital.

Mr Philip Dunne: The West, North and East Cumbria Sustainability and Transformation Project has made an application for funding for the West Cumberland scheme from the additional £325 million capital funding announced in the spring budget earlier this year. An announcement on the successful applications will be made shortly.

Mental Health Services: North West

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time is from referral to the commencement of a talking therapy course in (a) the North West and (b) Bolton.

Jackie Doyle-Price: For people living with depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions, talking to a mental health profession can be a real lifeline and help them to manage their conditions. Our work to give more people access to these psychological therapies has now benefitted more than four million people. The latest data for Improving Access to Psychological Therapies for the month of March 2017 shows the waiting time from referral to the commencement of a talking therapy course is 20.6 days in the North West and 38 days in Bolton.

Blood: Contamination

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the blood contamination scandal, what the distinction is between (a) compassionate ex-gratia payments and (b) compensation.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government set up ex-gratia payment schemes on a compassionate basis, as liability has not been established. Compensation is paid on the basis of legal liability.

Exercise

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the NHS Couch to 5K running scheme on improving levels of physical activity.

Steve Brine: The National Health Service Couch to 5k programme was initially a nine week podcast series which was downloaded more than 1.5 million times. The success of the service led to the development of the Couch to 5k app in partnership with the British Broadcasting Corporation. Public Health England began leadership of the Couch to 5k programme in 2016, where the mobile phone app was developed. The app has received more than 500,000 downloads since launch1. The feedback from users is overwhelmingly positive with many referencing the voice-over from popular coaches being especially motivating. The app does not record mobile sensor data and there is no historical app data available to compare pre and post usage. 1Source: Google Analytics

Eating Disorders

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time is for people with eating disorders to obtain medical treatment in (a) Southampton, (b) the South East and (c) England.

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time is for people with eating disorders to obtain medical treatment in (a) Southampton, (b) the South East and (c) England.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This information is not available in the format requested. NHS England publishes quarterly England only level data on waiting times for children and young people with an eating disorder. It can be accessed via the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cyped-waiting-times/

Eating Disorders

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing service standards for adults suffering from eating disorders for (a) access to services and (b) waiting times.

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing service standards for adults suffering from eating disorders for (a) access to services and (b) waiting times.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England will develop evidence based treatment pathways across mental health services over the next five years in line with the recommendations of the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health. NHS England is working with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health to ensure that each pathway is fully informed by the available evidence and the views of experts by experience. The National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health is developing a pathway for adults with eating disorders, together with detailed implementation guidance for providers, over 2017/18. NHS England is also conducting a baseline audit to measure existing levels of investment, capacity and activity across inpatient and community services for adults with eating disorders.

Orthopaedics: Rehabilitation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2017 to Question 3123, what information in any format his Department holds on the number of people in England who had an operation to amputate a limb since 2010; and what psychological support is available to such people during their rehabilitation.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department does not hold information on the number of people who had an operation to amputate a limb since 2010. NHS Digital regularly collects publically available information on the number of finished episodes of care involving amputation, however one person may have multiple episodes of such care. Rehabilitation involves a specialised multi-disciplinary team, which includes a psychologist, and counselling should be made available to any person with limb loss, but we do not collect information on the level of psychological support offered in rehabilitation.

NHS: Private Sector

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2017 to Question 1736, whether his Department holds any information on how much the NHS has paid private healthcare companies for the provision of (a) eating disorder and (b) mental health services since 2010.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This data is not collected in the format requested. NHS England directly commissions specialised services for mental health and eating disorders; including those for National Health Service services in the independent sector. Other services for eating disorders and mental health services are commissioned by clinical commissioning groups.

Care Homes: Nottingham

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that older people can access high-quality residential care in Nottingham.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Care Act 2014 placed a duty on local authorities in England to promote a diverse, sustainable, high quality market of care and support providers for people in their local area. The Department has published statutory guidance to support local authorities in their market shaping duties.To improve the quality of adult social care, the Government has introduced a tough system of Care Quality Commission ratings, new qualifications for care workers and new standards to ensure that everyone receives the highest quality support.

Care Homes: Standards

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to tackle regional variations in the quality of residential care.

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the Care Quality Commission's finding that safety is one of the key areas where residential care homes are struggling to improve; and what steps he plans to take to address that finding.

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve the quality of leadership of residential care homes that have been rated inadequate or requires improvement.

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to support local authorities in addressing regional inequalities in social care quality.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Whilst 79% of inspected care services are good or outstanding there is more to do to address variation. This is why we introduced tougher inspections of care services and provided an additional £2 billion to the sector. The Department is also working with organisations from across the adult social care sector to implement Quality Matters – a commitment to improving quality. The Government announced that we will be consulting on the future of social care. The consultation will set out options to improve the social care system to put it on a more secure financial footing and address issues related to the quality of care and variation in practice. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) makes sure adult social care providers meet fundamental standards of quality and safety. The CQC reports that 75% of inspected providers are rated as good for ‘safety’.The CQC can take action if it identifies aspects of care which need to improve. The CQC can: issue requirement notices or warning notices to set out what improvements must be made and by when; make changes to a care provider's registration to limit what they may do; place a provider in special measures; and, issue cautions, fines or prosecute cases where people are harmed or placed in danger of harm. The CQC reports that 76% of inspected providers are rated as outstanding or good for ‘well-led’. The Department is working closely with our delivery partners, Skills for Care, to improve the level of skills of the adult social care workforce which includes supporting the development of leadership at all levels. The Skills for Care Leadership programme equips leaders and managers at all levels to positively embrace service transformation as part of an integrated, whole-system view of person-centred care.

Nurses: Training

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 5 July 2017 to Question 2280 on nurses: training, what estimate his Department has made of the number of additional nursing training places that will be available for each year until 2020.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Government has not made a year on year estimate of the number of additional nurse training places that will be available up to 2020; Health Education England (HEE) produces a workforce plan on an annual basis which sets out the estimated minimum requirements for the National Health Service to meet the longer-term NHS workforce needs. Pre-registration nurse training places will no longer be commissioned in the same way that has been done previously by HEE. The reforms for healthcare education funding mean students will move onto the student loans system; giving universities the flexibility to provide additional places, based on local need and NHS clinical capacity. HEE will continue to fund the required number of clinical placements to meet the longer-term NHS workforce needs.

Depressive Illnesses: Females

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the number of women aged (a) 20 to 40, (b) 41 to 60 and (c) 61 or over diagnosed with (i) a nervous breakdown and (ii) depression in each of the last five years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information is not held in the format requested.